fe 


I 


Tonio,  Son  of  the  Sierras,  erect  and  slender. 
Frontispiece 


TONIO 

SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS 

A  Story  of  the  Apache  VPar 


BY 


GENERAL  CHARLES  KING 


AUTHOR  OF 


"NORMAN  HOLT,"  "THE  IRON  BRIGADE,'.'  "THE  COLONEL'S  DAUGHTER,' 
**A  DAUGHTER  OF  THE  SIOUX,'*  ETC. 


Illustrations  by 
CHARLES  J.  POST 


G.  W.  DILLINGHAM    COMPANY 
PUBLISHERS  NEW  YORK 


COPYRIGHT,  1906,  BY 
G.  W.  DILLINGHAM  COMPANY 

Entered  at  Stationers'  Hall,  London 
All  rights  reserved 

Issued  June,  1906. 


SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS' 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

Tonio,  Son  of  the  Sierras,  erect  and  slender  .  .  Frontispiece  8 
Scrambling  down  the  adjacent  slope  every  man  for  himself  .  .  81 
" Keep  watch  now  all  around,  especially  east  and  southeast"  .  175 
"They've  opened  on  Case  and  Clancy"  ..,,...  18$ 


fflJL820i 


TONIO 

SON   OF   THE 


CHAPTER  I 

"  DOES  it  never  rain  here  ?  "  asked  the  Latest  Arrival, 
with  sudden  shift  of  the  matter  undeY  discussion. 

"  How  is  that,  Bentleyl  "  said  the  officer  addressed 
to  the  senior  present,  the  surgeon.  "  You've  been  here 
longest." 

"  Don't  know,  I'm  sure,"  was  the  languid  answer. 
"  I've  only  been  here  three  years.  Try  'Tonio  there. 
He  was  born  hereabouts." 

So  the  eyes  of  the  six  men  turned  to  the  indicated 
authority,  an  Apache  of  uncertain  age.  He  looked  to 
be  forty  and  might  be  nearer  sixty.  He  stood  five  feet 
ten  in  his  tiptoed  moccasins,  and  weighed  less  than  little 
Harris,  who  could  not  touch  the  beam  at  five  feet  five. 
Harris  was  the  light  weight  of  the  -  —  th  Cavalry,  in 
physique,  at  least,  and  by  no  means  proud  of  the  dis 
tinction.  To  offset  the  handicap  of  lack  of  stature  and 
weight,  and  of  almost  cat-like  elasticity  of  frame  and 
movement,  he  saw  fit  to  cultivate  a  deliberation  and  dig 
nity  of  manner  that  in  his  cadet  days  had  started  the 
sobriquet  of  "  Heavy,"  later  altered  to  "  Hefty  "  ;  and 
Hefty  Harris  he  was  to  the  very  hour  this  story  opens 
—  a  junior  first  lieutenant  with  four  years'  record  of 
stirring  service  in  the  far  West,  in  days  when  the  tele 
graph  had  not  yet  strung  the  Arizona  deserts,  and  the 
railway  was  undreamed  of.  He  had  only  just  returned 


4        TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS 

to  the  post  from  a  ten  days'  scout,  'Tonio,  the  Apache, 
being  his  chief  trailer  and  chosen  companion  on  this  as 
OIL  many  a  previous  trip.  The  two  made  an  odd  com 
bination,  -Laving  little  in  common  beyond  that  imper- 
tiirbabie  self -poise  and  dignity.  The  two  elsewhere 
had  met  with  marked  success  in  "  locating  "  rancherias 
of  the  hostile  bands,  and  in  following  and  finding  ma 
rauding  parties.  The  two  were  looked  upon  in  southern 
Arizona  as  "  the  best  in  the  business,"  and  now,  be 
cause  other  leaders  had  tried  much  and  accomplished 
little,  it  had  pleased  the  general  commanding  the  Di 
vision  of  the  Pacific  to  say  to  his  subordinate,  the  gen 
eral  commanding  the  Department  of  Arizona,  that  as 
the  "  Tonto  "  Apaches  and  their  fellows  of  the  Sierra 
Blanca  seemed  too  wily  for  his  scouting  parties  sent 
out  from  Whipple  Barracks,  and  the  valley  garrisons  of 
McDowell  and  Verde,  it  might  be  well  to  detach  Lieu 
tenant  Harris  from  his  troop  at  old  Camp  Bowie  and 
send  him,  with  'Tonio,  to  report  to  the  commanding 
officer  at  Camp  Almy. 

Now  the  commanding  general  of  Arizona  had  thought 
of  that  project  himself,  and  rejected  it  for  two  reasons : 
first,  that  the  officers  and  men  on  duty  at  Almy  would 
possibly  take  it  as  a  reflection;  second,  that  'Tonio 
would  probably  take  it  as  an  affront  to  himself.  'Tonio, 
be  it  understood,  was  of  the  Apache  Mohave  tribe,  whose 
hunting  grounds  had  long  been  the  upper  Verde  and 
adjacent  mountains.  'Tonio  had  no  scruples  as  to  scout 
ing  and  shooting  Chiricahuas  and  Sierra  Blancas  or 
the  roving  bands  of  Yaquis  that  sometimes  ventured 
across  the  "  Gadsden  Purchase  "  from  Mexico.  'Tonio 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS        5 

had  done  vengeful  work  among  these  fellows.  But  now 
he  was  brought  face  to  face  with  a  far  different  proposi 
tion.  The  renegades  of  northern  Arizona  in  the  earliest 
of  the  seventies  were  mainly  Tontos,  but  many  a  young 
brave  of  the  Apache  Mohave  tribe  had  cast  his  lot  with 
them.  Many  had  taken  their  women  and  children, 
and  'Tonio  would  be  hunting,  possibly,  his  own  flesh  and 
blood.  The  junior  general  had  ventured  to  remonstrate 
by  letter,  even  when  issuing  the  order  indicated,  but  the 
senior  stood  to  his  prerogative  with  a  tenacity  that  set 
the  junior's  teeth  on  edge,  and  started  territorial  and 
unbecoming  comparisons  between  the  division  com 
mander's  firmness  on  the  fighting  line  a  decade  earlier, 
and  far  behind  it  now.  San  Francisco  was  perhaps  five 
hundred  miles  from  the  scene  of  hostilities,  and  those 
farthest  away  seldom  fail  to  see  clearer  than  those  on  the 
spot,  and  to  think  they  know  better,  so  Harris  and  his 
dusky  henchman  came  up  to  Almy  with  little  by  way  of 
welcome,  and  back  from  their  first  scout  with  nothing 
by  way  of  result.  Therefore,  the  sextette  of  officers  that 
had  been  but  lukewarm  at  the  start  became  lavish  in 
cordiality  at  the  close.  The  failure  of  Harris,  the 
favorite  of  the  chieftain  of  the  big  Division,  meant  that 
no  further  criticism  could  attach  to  them.  If  Harris 
could  accomplish  nothing  worth  mention,  what  could  be 
expected  of  others  ? 

Therefore,  while  awaiting  the  return  of  the  courier 
sent  up  to  Prescott,  with  report  of  what  Harris  had  not 
accomplished,  and  asking  instructions  as  to  what  the 
gentleman  would  have  next,  the  commanding  officer  of 
the  old  post,  built  by  California  volunteers  during  the 


6       TONIO,   SON   OF  THE  SIERRAS 

Civil  War  and  garrisoned  later  by  reluctant  regulars, 
set  a  good  example  to  his  subordinates  by  doing  his  best 
to  console  the  "  casuals,"  as  visitors  were  officially  rated, 
and  his  subordinates  loyally  followed  suit 

But  Harris  seemed  unresponsive.  Harris  seemed  al 
most  sulky.  Harris  had  added  silence  to  dignity,  and 
spent  long  hours  of  a  sunny  day  sprawled  in  a  hammock, 
smoking  his  pipe  and  studying  'Tonio,  who  squatted  in 
the  shade  at  the  end  of  the  narrow  porch  of  the  old 
officers'  mess  building,  still  more  silent  and  absorbed 
than  his  young  commander. 

And  this  was  the  condition  of  things  when  the  Latest 
Arrival  appeared  on  the  scene,  fresh  from  head-quarters, 
some  ninety  miles  northwest  and  two  thousand  feet 
higher.  He  had  come  late  the  previous  afternoon.  He 
had  skated  down  the  flinty  scarp  of  Misery  Hill,  with 
the  wheels  of  his  buckboard  locked,  and  hauled  up  at  the 
adjutant's  in  a  cloud  of  dust  and  misapprehension,  with 
barely  time  for  a  bath  and  a  shave  before  dinner.  He 
was  a  new  aide-de-camp  of  the  department  commander. 
He  had  served  him  well  and  won  his  notice  on  Indian 
campaigns  afar  to  the  north  in  the  Columbia  valley, 
where  gum  boots  and  slickers  were  as  indispensable  as 
here  they  were  superfluous.  He  had  never  been,  he 
said,  so  dry  in  his  life  as  when  he  scrambled  from  his 
mud-colored  chariot  to  the  steps  of  the  official  residence. 
The  temporal  wants  had  been  spiritually  removed,  but 
not  the  impression.  !N"ow,  some  eighteen  hours  later,  he 
wished  to  know  if  it  never  rained  at  Almy,  and  there 
was  no  white  man  could  tell  him.  So,  one  and  all,  thej£ 


TONIO,   SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS        Y 

looked  to  'Tonio,  whose  earliest  recollections  were  of  the 
immediate  neighborhood. 

And  'Tonio  proved  a  reluctant  witness.  Urged  by 
Stannard,  the  senior  captain  referred  to,  Harris  put  the 
question  in  "  Pidgin "  Apache,  and  'Tonio,  squatting 
still,  gazed  dreamily  away  toward  the  huge  bulwark  of 
Squadron  Peak,  and  waited  for  respectful  cessation  of 
all  talk  before  he  would  answer. 

At  last  he  rose  to  his  full  height  and,  with  a  sweeping 
gesture  the  length  of  his  arm,  pointed  to  the  domelike 
summit,  dazzling  in  the  slant  of  the  evening  sunshine, 
that  seemingly  overhung  the  dun-colored  adobe  corrals 
on  the  flats  to  the  south,  yet  stood  full  five  miles  away. 
'Tonio  so  seldom  opened  his  lips  to  speak  that  the  six 
men  listened  with  attention  they  seldom  gave  to  one 
another.  Yet  what  'Tonio  said  was  translatable  only  by 
Harris : 

"  When  the  picacho  hides  his  head  in  the  clouds,  then 
look  for  rain." 

"  Lord,"  said  the  doctor,  "  I  doubt  if  ever  I've  seen 
a  cloud  above  it — much  less  on  it !  If  it  weren't  for  the 
creek  yonder  the  whole  post  would  shrivel  up  and  blow 
away.  Even  the  hygrometer's  dead  of  disuse — or  dry 
rot.  But,  talk  of  drying  up,  did  you  ever  see  the  beat 
of  him  ?"  and  the  doctor  was  studying  anatomy  as  dis 
played  in  this  particular  Apache. 

Five  feet  ten  'Tonio  stood  before  them,  not  counting 
the  thatch  of  his  matted  black  hair,  bound  with  white 
cotton  turban.  Five  feet  ten  in  height,  but  so  gaunt  and 
wiry  that  the  ribs  and  bones  seemed  breaking  through 
the  tawny  skin,  that  in  flank  and  waist  and  the  long 


8        TONIO,   SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS 

sweep  of  his  sinewy,  fleshless  legs,  he  rivalled  the  grey 
hound  sprawled  at  his  feet.  "  'Tonio  has  not  half  an 
ounce  of  fat  in  his  hide,"  said  Harris,  in  explaining  his 
tireless  work  on  the  trail.  "  'Tonio  can  go  sixty  miles 
without  a  gulp  of  water  and  come  out  fresh  as  a  daisy 
at  the  end."  'Tonio's  eminently  fit  condition  had  been 
something  Harris  ever  held  in  envy  and  emulation,  yet 
on  this  recent  scout  even  'Tonio  had  failed  him.  'Tonio 
had  complained.  To  look  at  him  as  he  stood  there 
now,  erect,  slender,  with  deep  chest  and  long,  lank 
arms  and  legs,  trammelled  only  by  the  white  cot 
ton  breechclout  that  looped  over  the  waist  belt  and 
trailed,  fore  and  aft,  below  the  bony  knee,  his  back 
and  shoulders  covered  by  white  camisa  unfastened  at 
the  throat  and  chest,  his  feet  cased  in  deerskin  moc 
casins,  the  long  leggings  of  which  hung  in  folds  at  the 
ankles,  one  could  liken  him  only  to  the  coyote — the  half- 
famished  wolf  of  the  sage  plain  and  barren,  for  even 
the  greyhound  knew  thirst  and  fatigue, — knew  how  to 
stretch  at  full  length  and  luxury  in  the  shade,  whereas 
'Tonio,  by  day  at  least,  stood  or  squatted.  Never  in  all 
their  long  prowlings,  by  day  or  night,  among  the  arid 
deserts  or  desolate  ranges  along  the  border,  had  Harris 
known  his  chief  trailer  and  scout  to  hint  at  such  a  thing 
as  weariness.  Yet,  within  the  week  gone  by,  thrice  had 
he  declared  himself  unable  to  go  farther.  Did  it  mean 
that  at  last  'Tonio  would  purposely  fail  him,  now  that 
there  were  some  of  his  own  people  among  the  renegades  ? 
'Tonio  had  stoutly  denied  such  a  weakness.  The  few 
young  men  with  the  hostiles,  said  he,  were  more  Tonto 
than  Mohave — fools  who  had  offended  their  brothers  and 


TONIO,   SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS       9 

dishonored  their  tribe.  Chiefs,  medicine  men,  even  the 
women,  he  said,  disowned  them.  The  braves  would  kill, 
and  the  women  spurn,  them  on  sight.  'Tonio  pointed 
to  the  "  hound  "  scouts  with  the  Verde  company — Ilual- 
pais,  some  of  them — splendid  specimens  from  the  moun 
tains  ;  Apache  Yumas,  some  of  them,  not  quite  the  peer 
of  the  Hualpais ;  but  many  of  them — most  of  them,  in 
fact — Apache  Mohaves,  fiercest,  surest  trailers  of  the 
wild  Red  Rock  country,  familiar  with  every  canon 
and  crag  in  all  the  rude  range  from  Snow  Lake  to  the 
Sierra  Blanca.  "  All  brothers,"  protested  'Tonio.  "  All 
soldiers.  All  braves,  unafraid  of  a  thousand  Tontos, 
eager  only  to  meet  and  punish  their  traitor  fellows  who 
had  taken  the  White  Chief's  pay  and  bread,  pledged 
their  best  services  and  then  gone  renegading  to  the  fast 
nesses  of  the  Mogollon,"  adding  with  scorn  unspeakable, 
"taking  other  women  with  them." 

And  still  Harris  was  not  content.  Harris  had  sent  a 
runner  back  when  the  scout  was  but  half  finished,  with  a 
note  to  be  relayed  to  Prescott,  to  tell  the  general  of  his 
ill  success  and  his  evil  suspicions,  and  the  chief  being 
himself  out  a-hunting,  what  did  his  chief  of  staff  do  but 
order  the  Newly  Arrived  down  to  Almy  to  meet  the 
home-coming  party  and  see  for  himself — and  his  gen 
eral! 

And  of  all  men  chosen  to  meddle  in  matters  concern 
ing  " Hefty"  Harris,  perhaps  the  latest  suitable,  in  some 
ways,  was  his  classmate  and  comrade  lieutenant,  though 
in  different  arms  of  the  service — Hal  Willett  of  "  The 
Lost  and  Strayed,"  so  called  from  the  fact  that  they  had 
been  sent  to  desert  wilds  in  '65,  scattered  over  three 


10      TONIO,   SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS 

territories,  and  despite  some  hard  fighting  and  many 
hard  knocks,  had  never,  said  their  detractors,  been  heard 
from  since. 

Eivals  they  had  been  in  cadet  days  and  more  than  one 
pursuit.  Kivals  they  still  were  in  the  field  of  arms,  for 
the  name  Harris  had  won  for  himself  in  Arizona  Willett 
had  matched  in  the  Columbia,  and  now,  fresh  from  the 
ill-starred  campaign  of  the  Lava  Beds,  was  one  of  the 
few  men  to  get  something  better  than  hard  knocks,  cen 
sure  and  criticism.  Until  the  previous  evening,  not 
since  the  day  they  parted  at  West  Point  had  they  set 
eyes  one  on  the  other,  and,  knowing  nothing  of  what  had 
gone  before  and  never  dreaming  of  what  would  come  to 
pass,  a  benighted  bureau  officer  had  sent  the  one  down 
to  find  out  what  was  the  matter  with  the  other. 

And  thereby  hangs  this  tale. 

For,  as  luck  would  have  it,  there  was  even  then  sta 
tioned  in  that  far-away  land  a  luckless  lieutenant-colonel 
of  infantry  who  had  started  with  good  prospects  in  the 
Civil  War,  had  early  been  given  command  of  a  brigade 
of  volunteers  and  within  the  month  had  had  his  raw 
concourse  of  undrilled,  undisciplined  levies  swept  from 
under  him  in  the  first  fierce  onset  at  Shiloh.  What  else 
could  have  been  expected  of  men  to  whom  arms  had  been 
issued  but  ten  days  before,  and  who  had  not  yet  learned 
which  end  to  bite  from  the  cartridge  ?  Hurled  from  his 
terrified  horse,  the  general  had  been  picked  up  senseless, 
to  see  no  more  of  fighting  until  Stone's  Eiver,  eight 
months  later,  where  with  a  more  seasoned  command  the 
same  thing  happened.  And  still  he  persisted,  when  well 
of  an  ugty  wound,  and,  while  juniors  in  jrears  and  length 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS      11 

of  service  were  now  Heading  corps  and  divisions,  with 
double  stars  on  their  shoulders,  and  he  had  to  begin 
again  with  a  brigade,  he  got  into  line  for  Chickamauga 
with  his  usual  luck  just  within  range  of  the  fatal  gap 
left  by  a  senior  in  command — the  gap  through  which 
poured  the  impetuous  gray  torrent  of  the  Southland — 
and  for  the  third  time  everything  crumbled  away  in 
spite  of  him,  while  he  was  left  for  dead  upon  the  field. 
He  had  done  his  best,  as  had  other  men,  and  had  fared 
only  the  worst.  It  was  a  case  of  three  times  and  out. 
The  impatient  North  had  no  more  use  for  names  linked 
only  with  disaster.  When,  finally  exchanged,  he  limped 
back  to  duty,  they  put  him  on  courts,  boards  and  other 
back-door  business  until  the  war  was  over,  then  sent  him 
to  the  Pacific  Slope,  with  the  blanket  brevet  of  March, 
1865,  and  here  he  was,  eight  long  years  thereafter,  "  The 
General "  by  way  of  title,  without  the  command ;  silver 
leaves  where  once  gleamed  the  stars  on  his  shoulders; 
silver  streaks  where  once  rippled  chestnut  and  gold; 
wrinkled  of  visage  and  withered  in  shank ;  kindly,  pa 
tient,  yet  pathetic ;  "  functioning "  a  four-company 
post  in  a  far-away  desert,  with  grim  mountain  chains 
on  east  and  west,  arid  waters  on  every  side  of  him,  four 
long  weeks  and  four  thousand  miles  by  mail  route  from 
home,  and  much  longer  by  sea ;  with  nothing  to  do  but 
send  out  scouts,  sign  papers,  sing  an  old  song  or  two 
when  the  spirit  moved  him;  with  not  a  thing  in  his 
soldier  past  to  be  ashamed  of,  nothing  much  in  his  sol 
dier  present  to  rejoice  in,  nothing  whatever  in  his  sol 
dier  future  to  hope  for,  finding  his  companionship  in 
the  comrades  about  him,  and  his  sweetest  comfort  in 


12      TONIO,   SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

the  unswerving  love  of  a  devoted  wife,  and  their  one 
unstinted  pride  and  delight,  Lilian,  their  only  daughter 
— their  only  surviving  child. 

Many  of  these  eight  years  of  what  then  was  exile, 
while  he,  at  first  as  a  major  of  foot,  was  campaigning 
in  regions  long  since  reclaimed  from  savagery,  and  rus 
ticating  at  frontier  forts  long  since  forgotten,  Lilian  and 
her  mother  had  dwelt  in  lodgings  at  "  The  Bay  "  that 
the  child  might  have  the  advantage  of  San  Francisco's 
schools.  Only  once  each  year,  until  of  late,  had  he  been 
able  to  visit  them,  usually  at  Christmas-tide,  but  by 
every  runner,  courier,  stage  or  post  there  came  to  them 
his  cheery  letters,  bearing  such  old-time,  outlandish 
post-marks  or  headings  as  "  Lapwai,"  "  Three  Forks, 
Owyhee,"  and  later  "  Hualpai,"  or  "  Hassayampa," 
until  finally  it  became  mild,  civilized,  pacific,  even 
"  Almy." 

The  uniform  of  a  general,  that  the  law  had  let  him 
wear  just  as  long  in  peace  as  had  been  the  war  in  years, 
was  finally  packed  in  camphorated  hope  of  resurrection, 
and  the  garb  of  actual  rank  resumed  in  1870.  He  could 
bear  the  title  ad  infinitum,  but  not  the  sign. 

The  silver  leaf,  as  said,  had  come  to  replace  the  worn 
and  tarnished  gold  by  '73,  then  mountain  fever  had 
seized  and  laid  him  by  the  heels,  and  then  all  the  Ind 
ians  in  Arizona,  or  the  army  women  out  of  it,  could 
not  dissuade  Mrs.  Archer  from  her  duty.  She  and  Lil 
ian  were  the  heroines  of  a  buckboard  ride  from  Drum 
Barracks  to  the  Colorado,  from  the  Colorado  to  Prescott, 
from  Prescott  down  through  wild  and  tortuous  canons 


TONIO,   SON   OF  THE  SIERRAS      13 

to  and  beyond  the  valley  of  the  Verde — to  the  wonder 
ing  eyes  of  the  waiting  garrison  and  the  welcoming  arms 
of  the  fond  husband  and  father  at  Almy. 

And  this  was  but  the  week  gone  by,  just  before  the 
"  Newly  Arrived  "  had  reached  Prescott — just  before 
"  Hefty  "  Harris  had  returned  from  scout.  Eot  until 
this  very  morning — the  first  since  their  reunion  of  that 
warm,  yet  winter's  evening  of  the  previous  day — had 
the  two  classmates  set  eyes  on  Miss  Archer  (it  was 
as  she  rode  away  by  her  father's  side  for  a  canter  up 
the  valley),  and  not  until  this  late  afternoon,  as  the 
sun  was  dipping  behind  the  black  range  of  the  Mazat- 
zal,  did  they  have  opportunity  to  speak  with  her. 

Even  as  'Tonio  stood,  silent  and  statuesque,  while  the 
doctor  went  on  record  as  to  the  rainfall  of  the  Verde 
watershed,  there  came  suddenly  into  view,  jogging 
quietly  up  the  winding  road  from  the  lower  ford,  three 
riders,  followed  by  half  a  pack  of  lagging,  yapping 
hounds — "  The  Old  Man,"  the  maiden  and  the  orderly — 
and  all  men  on  the  wooden  porch  of  the  unpainted  mess 
building,  rose  to  their  feet  in  deference  to  the  united 
"  powers  above,"  rank  and  age,  youth  and  beauty,  and 
presently  the  commander  was  saying  for  the  benefit  of 
the  two  new-comers :  "  My  daughter,  gentlemen.  Lil 
ian,  Mr.  Harris,  Mr.  Willett." 

Inadvertently  he  had  named  them  in  the  inverse 
order  of  rank — a  small  matter,  though  Willett  had  been 
promoted  to  his  bar  a  year  ahead  of  Harris.  Other 
wise,  it  was  with  a  fair  field  and  no  favor  the  old-time 
rivals  of  cadet  days  stood  for  the  first  time  in  the 


14      TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS 

presence  of  the  only  army  girl  at  that  moment  to  be 
found  in  the  far-flung  shadow  of  the  Mazatzal — stood 
side  by  side,  facing  both  the  starter  and  the  prize  in 
what  was  destined  to  be  the  last  great  contest  of  their 
lives. 


CHAPTEK  II 

"  COME  and  dine  with  us  this  evening,  you  two,"  the 
"  Old  Man  "  was  saying,  a  few  minutes  later.  He  had 
been  home  long  enough  to  consult  the  "  Commanding 
General,"  as  he  frequently  referred  to  that  smiling 
better  half,  and  to  compare  notes  as  to  the  condition 
of  the  larder  and  cellar.  He  had  flung  conventionality 
to  the  winds,  as  most  of  us  had  to  in  early  Arizona  days. 
'  You  others,"  he  said,  "  have  suffered  so  often  from 
my  steaks  and  stories,  you're  glad  not  to  be  included. 
To-day  I'm  bidding  only  these  two  youngsters.  You 
know  our  dining  table  holds  only  six.  "  No,  never 
mind  about  the  call!"  he  interposed,  with  uplifted 
hands,  one  to  receive  the  toddy  Briggs  was  stirring  for 
him,  the  other  in  kindly  protest,  for  both  the  youngsters 
were  on  their  feet  confusedly  striving  to  make  it  under 
stood  that  they  had  only  been  waiting  for  the  cool  of 
the  evening  to  come  to  pay  their  respects.  "  And  never 
mind  about  spike  tail  and  shirt  fronts  either — come  just 
as  you  are !" 

"  Indeed,  I'll  have  to,  sir,"  said  Willett,  whose  un 
dress  uniform  fitted  him  like  a  glove  and  was  cut  and 
made  by  the  then  expert  military  artist  of  the  far  East. 
They  had  not  taken  it  too  kindly,  these  others  in  white 
cotton  sack  coats,  hewed  and  stitched  by  the  company 
tailor,  or  even  in  canvas  shooting  rig,  as  was  Harris, 


16      TONIO,   SON   OF   THE  SIERRAS 

that  the  young  aide-de-camp,  after  brief  siesta  in  the 
mid-day  lazy  hour,  should  have  appeared  among  them 
all,  fresh-shaved  and  tubbed,  and  in  faultless,  bran-new, 
spick-and-span  cap  and  blouse  and  trousers,  with  black 
silk  socks  and  low-cut  patent  leather  "  Oxford  ties." 
Harris,  hammock  slung,  and  moodily  studying  'Tonio, 
looked  approvingly,  but  made  no  remark  whatever. 
Stannard,  ever  blunt  and  short  of  speech,  had  shoved 
his  hairy  hands  deep  in  his  trousers'  pockets,  a  thing 
no  sub  would  twice  venture  in  his  presence,  looked 
Willett  over  from  head  to  foot,  then,  with  a  sniff,  had 
turned  away,  but  Bentley  and  Turner  had  indulged  in 
whimsical  protest,  "  Gad,  man,  but  you  put  us  all  to 
shame,"  said  the  surgeon.  "  I've  seen  no  rig  to  match 
that  since  I  came  to  this  post.  It's  rarer  than  rain." 

"  What  do  you  wear  when  you  call  on  the  command 
ing  officer?"  queried  the  Latest  Arrival,  with  jovial 
good-nature.  "  Thank  you,  Briggs.  That  was  a  good 
toddy." 

"  Never  had  a  family  here  until  this  week,"  said 
Bentley,  "  and  such  calling  as  I've  done  has  been  in 
what  I  happened  to  have  on,  and  even  then  I've  wished 
we  dressed  like  'Tonio  there.  Why,  Mr.  Willett,  only 
once  since  I  came  to  this  post  has  there  been  an  officer's 
daughter  with  us.  Only  twice  has  there  been  an  offi 
cer's  wife.  Even  Mrs.  Archer  wouldn't  have  tried  it 
if  the  general  hadn't  been  sick." 

Willett  laughed  again,  good-naturedly  as  before. 
"  Well,"  said  he,  "  in  the  field  '  The  Lost  and  Strayed  ' 
didn't  dandy  much,  but  here  I  had  not  even  unpacked 
my  trunk;  had  a  whole  buckboard  to  myself  after  we 


TONIO,  SON   OF  THE  SIERRAS      17 

left  Captain  Wickham  at  the  Big  Bug,  so  I  just  fetched 
'em  along.  This  is  light,  you  see — nothing  but  serge," 
and  he  held  forth  his  arm.  "Up  there,  of  course,  we 
had  no  use  for  white.  Gunboats  and  '  plebeskins  ?  was 

full  dress  half  the  year  round "  And  just  then  it 

had  occurred  to  him  to  put  that  question :  "  Does  it 
never  rain  here?"  and  in  so  doing  he  had  appealed 
rather  to  Stannard  and  his  fellows  of  the  line,  quite 
as  though  he  thought  Bentley  doing  too  much  of  the 
talk,  especially  since  Bentley's  bent  was  criticising. 
But  Stannard,  as  we  have  seen,  had  referred  back  the 
question,  whereat  the  doctor,  defrauded  of  his  game, 
yawned  languidly  and  turned  over  the  matter  to  'Tonio, 
thus  dragging  Harris,  all  unwilling,  into  the  tide  of 
talk,  and  presently  out  of  his  hammock.  Next  thing 
noticed  of  him  he  had  disappeared. 

To  no  man  as  yet,  save  the  lieutenant-colonel  com 
manding,  had  Willett  told  the  purpose  of  his  coming. 
Late  the  previous  evening  Archer  had  come  to  his  office 
to  receive  the  aide-de-camp,  and  there  listened  to  his 
message.  "  The  Old  Man  "  looked  up  suddenly  as  he 
sat  in  the  lamplight  at  the  rude  wooden  table  that  served 
for  his  official  desk,  surprise  and  concern  mingling  in 
his  kindly  face. 

"  The  general  said  that  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  No,  sir :  the  adjutant-general  who  was  left  in 
charge.  The  general  is  away  hunting." 

"  I  might  have  known  that,"  said  Archer  to  his 
inner  self.  To  the  aide-de-camp  he  merely  bowed — 
bowed  most  courteously.  He  liked  boys,  and  the  Lord 


18     TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS 

had  seen  fit  to  take  back  to  himself  the  one  lad  poor 
Archer  had  liked  most,  and  loved  unspeakably. 

"  I  think  I  shall  say — nothing  of  it,"  said  he,  pres 
ently,  after  some  reflection,  "  and — you  can  find  out, 
through  Harris,  all  there  is  to  be  told." 

And  not  a  word  had  he  said,  even  to  the  post  adju 
tant,  from  the  moment  of  Willett's  reporting  to  him  at 
nine  the  night  before,  yet  every  man  of  the  officers' 
mess  knew  well  that  something  had  sent  the  young  staff 
officer  to  Almy — 'that  something  was  to  be  looked  into 
— and  every  man,  including  Harris,  felt  it  in  his  bones 
that  that  something  was  the  recent  and  unprofitable 
scout.  That  being  the  case,  it  placed  them  all  on  the 
defensive,  and  Willett,  unhappily,  upon  his  mettle. 

A  silence  fell  upon  the  party  when  it  was  found 
Harris  was  gone.  'Tonio  himself  had  risen  again,  had 
stood  gazing  awhile  along  the  eastward  mountains, 
tumbling  up  toward  a  brazen  sky,  then  had  slowly  van 
ished  from  sight  round  the  comer  of  the  adobe  wall. 

"  Sticks  closer'n  a  brother/'  said  Stannard,  epigram- 
matically,  with  a  look  at  Turner,  his  comrade  captain, 
whereat  the  latter  shot  a  warning  glance,  first  at  Stan 
nard,  then  toward  the  unconscious  !N".  A.,  now  hobnob 
bing  with  Briggs  at  the  mess-room  door. 

"  Harris  doesn't  like  the  young  swell !  What's  the 
matter,  d'ye  s'pose  ? "  asked  Bucketts,  the  post  quarter 
master,  a  man  of  much  weight,  but  not  too  much  dis 
crimination. 

"  Bosh !  They're  classmates  and  old  chums,"  was 
Stannard's  quick  reply.  "  Harris  is  hipped  because 


TONIO,  SON   OF   THE  SIERRAS      19 

his  scout  was  a  fizzle,  and  he  simply  doesn't  feel  like 
talking." 

"  All  the  same,  he  doesn't  like  Willett,  classmate 
or  no  classmate.  You  mark  my  words/'  persisted  the 
man  of  mops  and  brooms,  and  Stannard,  who  had  seen 
the  youngster's  face  as  he  turned  away,  knew  well  the 
quartermaster  was  right.  Therefore  was  it  his  duty, 
for  the  sake  of  the  regiment,  said  he,  to  stand  by  Harris 
as  hailing  from  the  cavalry.  He  scoffed  at  the  quarter 
master  and  began  to  pace  the  veranda.  'Twas  high  time 
for  evening  stables,  and  the  brief  and  perfunctory 
grooming  the  short-coupled,  stocky  little  mountain 
climbers  daily  received.  The  herds  had  been  driven 
in,  watering  in  the  shallows  as  they  forded  the  stream 
full  fifteen  minutes  before.  There  were  only  the  sur 
geon,  the  adjutant,  the  quartermaster,  and  Lieutenant 
Willett  seated  on  the  veranda  when  Harris  presently 
came  back,  silent  as  before,  but  clad  in  undress  uniform, 
as  neat  and  trim  as  that  of  the  Latest  Arrival,  if  not 
so  new.  Then  came  General  Archer,  his  daughter,  and 
the  meeting.  Then,  a  few  minutes  later,  the  bid  to  din 
ner,  and  then,  barely  an  hour  from  that  time,  the  din 
ner  itself — a  function  the  classmates  marched  to  almost 
arm  in  arm  when  either  would  rather  have  been  without 
the  other. 

The  members  of  what  there  was  of  the  mess,  six 
officers  in  all,  sat  waiting  the  summons  to  their  own 
board,  and  gazing  idly  after.  Stannard,  the  only  mar 
ried  captain  whose  wife  had  had  the  nerve  to  go  to  that 
desolate  and  distant  station,  was  sitting  under  his  own 
figurative  vine  and  fig-tree  represented  by  a  pine  ve- 


20      TONIO,  SON   OF   THE  SIERRAS 

randa,  about  which  neither  vine  nor  fig  nor  other  tree 
had  ever  been  induced  to  grow,  but  that  was  not  without 
other  extravagances,  since  it  represented  to  Uncle  Sam 
an  aggregate  sum  that  could  be  best  computed  at  a  shil 
ling  a  shingle.  Stannard,  hearing  footsteps  on  the  sandy 
soil,  glanced  up  from  the  columns  of  an  Alta  California, 
ten  days  old,  and  growled  through  the  adjacent  blinds 
"  They're  coming  now,"  whereat  there  was  sound  of 
rustling  skirt  within,  and  between  the  slats  there  came 
a  glimpse  of  shining,  big  blue  eyes,  alive  with  womanly 
interest,  and  parted  lips  disclosing  two  opposing  rows 
of  almost  perfect  teeth,  all  the  whiter  by  contrast  with 
the  sunburned,  "  sonsy  "  face  that  framed  them.  To 
gether,  yet  separated,  this  Darby  and  Joan  of  the  far 
frontier  sat  and  watched  the  coming  pair.  "  Isn't  it 
good  to  see  the  real  uniform  again  ?  "  said  she.  "  Isn't 
it  absurd  to  think  of  trying  a  dinner  here  ?  "  said  he. 
Then  both  subsided  as  the  two  young  officers  stepped 
upon  the  resounding  boards  of  the  next  veranda  to  the 
south,  knocked  at  the  commander's  open  door  and  were 
promptly  welcomed. 

"  Now,  Luce,  they're  going  to  have  a  very  nice  din 
ner,"  protested  Mrs.  Stannard.  "  I  was  in  there  help 
ing  over  an  hour,  and  Mrs.  Archer's  a  wonder !  Even 
if  the  dinner  didn't  amount  to  much,  there  would  be 
Lilian." 

"  They  can't  eat  her"  persisted,  grimly,  the  man. 

"  She  looks  sweet  enough  to  eat,"  responded  the 
woman.  "  You  ought  to  see  her.  After  a  six  hours' 
ride  she  looks  fresh  as  a  daisy,  all  creamy  white  with — 
but  you  wouldn't  understand " 


TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS      21 

"  What  on  earth  kept  them  out  so  long  ?  " 
"  Didn't  I  tell  you  ?  Why,  they  went  away  to  Ben 
nett's  ranch.  Couldn't  find  a  vestige  of  vegetables 
nearer.  Mrs.  Bennett  has  a  little  patch  where  she  raises 
lettuce  and  radishes.  The  orderly  carried  a  basket  full 
of  truck,  and  leaves  and  flowers,  poppies  and  cactus,  you 
know,  and  you've  no  idea  how  pretty  they've  made 
the  table  look." 

Stannard  sniffed.     "  Take  their  Sauterne  hot  or  luke 
warm  ?  "  he  asked.     "  Fancy  a  dinner  without  ice,  fruit 


or  cream !  " 


"  Of  course  they  haven't  white  wine  here,  Luce ! 
But  there's  claret — famous  claret,  too,  and  the  water 
in  the  big  ollas  even  cooler  than  the  spring.  They'll 
have  French  dressing  for  the  salad.  They  have  tomato 
soup  even  you  couldn't  growl  at,  and  roast  chicken,  with 
real  potatoes,  and  petits  pois,  and  corn,  and  olives ;  then 
salad  cool  as  the  spring;  then  there's  to  be  such  an 
omelette  soufflee — and  coffee ! — but  it's  the  way  the  table 
looks,  Luce !" 

"  Men  don't  care  how  a  thing  looks,  so  long  as  it 
tastes  right.  How  does  it  look  ?  " 

"  So  white  and  fresh,  and  sprinkled  with  green  and 
purple  and  crimson,  the  leaves  and  the  poppies,  you 
know.  She — "  But  Mrs.  Stannard  broke  off  sud 
denly.  "  What  is  it,  Wettstein  ?  "  she  asked,  for  their 
own  particular  chef,  a  German  trooper,  with  elementary 
culinary  gifts,  appeared  in  the  hallway. 

"  It's  Suey,  mattam,  says  would  Mrs.  Stannard  come 
over  a  minute.  He's  stuck,  mattam." 

"  Stuck !     Heavens !  how  ?  "  cried  Mrs.  Stannard,  up 


22      TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

at  once  in  alarm,  and  vanishing  through  the  dim  light 
of  the  blanketed  window.  The  presumably  punctured 
Chinaman  was  even  then  in  full  flight  for  his  own 
kitchen  door,  some  fifty  feet  away,  and  Mrs.  Stannard 
followed.  No  Roman  in  Rome's  quarrel  was  ever  more 
self-sacrificing  than  were  our  army  women  of  the  old 
days  in  their  helpfulness.  Had  the  hounds  ravished  the 
roast  again,  as  once  already  had  happened  ?  If  so,  the 
Stannard  dinner  stood  ready  to  replace  it,  even  though 
she  and  her  captain  had  to  fall  back  on  what  could  be 
borrowed  from  the  troop  kitchen.  No,  the  oven  door 
was  open,  the  precious  chickens,  brown,  basted  and  done 
to  a  turn,  were  waiting  Suey's  deft  hands  to  shift  them 
to  the  platter.  (No  need  to  heat  it  even  on  a  Decem 
ber  day.)  Mrs.  Stannard' s  quick  and  comprehensive 
glance  took  in  every  detail.  The  "  stick  "  was  obvi 
ously  figurative — mere  vernacular — yet  something  seri 
ous,  for  Suey's  olive-brown  skin  was  jaundiced  with 
worry,  and  the  face  of  Doyle,  the  soldier  striker,  as 
he  came  hurrying  back  from  the  banquet  board,  was 
beading  with  the  sweat  of  mental  torment.  Soup,  it 
seems,  was  already  served,  and  Doyle  burst  forth,  hoarse 
whispering,  before  ever  he  caught  sight  of  the  visiting 
angel. 

"  Sure  I  can't,  Suey !     The  General's  sittin'  on  it! " 
And    Suey's   long-nailed   Mongolian  talons  went  up 
in  despair  as  he  turned  appealingly  to  their  rescuer. 

"  Sitting  on  what,  Doyle  ?     Quick !  "  said  Mrs.  Stan 
nard. 

"  The  sherry,  ma'am !     The  doctor  sent  it  over  wid 
his  comps  to  s'prise  him,  an'  my  orders  was  to  fill  the 


TONIO,  SON   OF  THE  SIERRAS      23 

little  glasses  when  I'd  took  in  the  soup,  an'  I  put  it 

under  the  barrel  chair " 

But  Mrs.  Stannard  had  heard  enough.  Even  though 
convulsed  with  merriment,  she  seized  a  pencil  and 
scribbled  a  little  line  on  a  card.  "  Give  this  to  Mrs. 
Archer,"  she  said,  and  a  moment  later,  in  the  midst 
of  his  first  story,  the  veteran  was  checked  by  these  placid 
words  from  the  head  of  the  table : 

"  Pardon  me,  dear,  but  you  are  on  the  lid  of  the 
wine  cooler.  Let  Doyle  get  at  it  a  moment." 

The  general  was  not  the  nimblest-witted  man  in  the 
service,  but  long  experience  had  taught  him  the  wisdom 
of  prompt  observance  of  any  suggestion  that  came  from 
his  wife.  Dropping  his  napkin,  and  the  thread  of  his 
tale,  he  rose  to  his  feet.  Blushing  furiously,  Doyle 
bent,  and  with  vigorous  effort  pried  off  a  circular,  per 
forated  top,  revealing  a  dark,  cylindrical  space  beneath, 
from  the  depths  of  which  he  lifted  a  dripping  bucket 
of  galvanized  iron,  and  sped,  thus  laden,  away  to  the 
kitchen,  to  the  music  of  Mrs.  Archer's  merry  laughter 
and  a  guffaw  of  joy  from  the  general's  lips. 

"How  came  you  to  put  it  there,  sir?"  demanded 
he,  a  moment  later,  as  Doyle  circumnavigated  the  table, 
filling,  as  ordered,  the  five  little  glasses  with  fragrant 
Amontillado.  "I  must  tell  you,  gentlemen,  this  is 
one  of  the  pleasant  surprises  that  most  admirable 
woman  yonder  is  forever  putting  up  on  me.  Life  would 
be  a  desert  without  such." 

"  Indeed  it  wasn't  mine !  "  expostulated  madam, 
"  though  I'm  deeply  indebted  to  somebody.  Who  was 
it,  Doyle 3" 


24      TONIO,  SON   OF  THE   SIERRAS 

"  Docther  Bentley,  ma'am.  He  said  I  was  to  keep 
it  dark,  ma'am — 'an'  in  the  coolest  place  I  could 
find " 

But  here  the  peals  of  laughter  silenced  the  words  and 
rang  the  glad  tidings  to  listening,  waiting  ears  in  the 
kitchen  that  all  was  well.  Mrs.  Stannard  scurried  away 
to  explain  to  her  Luce,  and  the  dinner  went  blithely  on. 

"  You  did  right,  Doyle !  you  did  right !  "  shouted 
the  general,  "  and  we'll  drink  the  doctor's  health.  Keep 
it  dark,  indeed !  Haw,  haw,  haw !  "  'And  then  noth 
ing  would  do  but  he  must  tell  the  story  of  this  precious 
and  particular  chair.  Furniture,  even  such  as  he  bought 
at  San  Francisco,  and  would  live  to  a  green  old  age 
along  the  Pacific,  came  speedily  to  pieces  in  the  hot, 
dry  atmosphere  of  Arizona.  Little  enough  there  was 
of  cabinet  ware,  to  be  sure,  because  of  the  cost  of  trans 
portation  ;  but  such  as  there  was,  unless  riveted  in  every 
seam  and  joint,  fell  apart  at  most  inopportune  moments. 
Bureaus  and  washstands,  tables,  sofas  and  chairs,  were 
forever  shedding  some  more  or  less  important  section, 
and  the  only  reliable  table  was  that  built  by  the  post 
carpenter,  the  quartermaster. 

And  so  these  pioneers  of  our  civilization,  the  men 
and  women  of  the  army,  had  had  no  little  experience  in 
cabinetmaking  and  upholstering.  While  the  emigrants 
and  settlers,  secure  under  its  wing,  could  turn  swords 
into  ploughshares  and  spears  into  pruning-hooks,  as  saith 
the  Scriptures,  their  soldier  folk  turned  clothing  boxes 
into  couches,  soap  boxes  into  cradles,  and  pork  barrels 
into  fauteuils.  Chintz  and  calico,  like  charity,  covered 
a  multitude  of  sins,  as  declared  in  unsightly  cracks  and 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS      25 

knotholes.  The  finest  reclining  chair  in  all  Camp  Almy 
belonged  to  the  doctor,  a  composite  of  condemned 
stretchers  and  shelter  tent.  The  best  dining-room  set 
was  sawed  out  from  sugar  barrels,  and,  being  stuffed 
with  old  newspapers  and  gayly  covered  with  cheese  cloth 
and  calico,  rivaled  in  comfort,  if  not  in  airy  elegance, 
the  twisted  woodwork  of  Vienna.  When  it  was  known 
that  Mrs.  and  Miss  Archer  had  descended  upon  the 
camp,  and  their  beloved  commander  had  next  to  nothing 
by  way  of  furniture  with  which  to  deck  their  army 
home,  every  officer  hastened  to  place  his  household  goods 
— such  "  C.  and  G.E."  as  did  not  belong  to  the  hospital 
— at  the  general's  disposal.  The  Stannards  sent  three 
riveted,  cane-bottomed,  dining-room  chairs  and  their 
spare  room  outfit  complete.  Captain  Turner,  whose 
fair-complected  partner  had  not  yet  ventured  to  these 
destructive  suns,  sent  bedstead  and  bureau,  the  latter 
without  knobs,  but  you  could  pry  the  drawers  open  with 
the  point  of  a  sabre.  The  post  trader  drove  up  from 
the  store  with  a  lot  of  odds  and  ends.  Even  the  bachel 
ors  were  keen  to  do  something.  All  of  which  Mrs. 
Archer  most  gratefully  and  smilingly  accepted  and  made 
mental  note  of  for  future  return  in  kind.  But,  in  spite 
of  the  Stannards'  contribution,  the  general  stood  firmly 
to  his  prerogative  and  sat  close  on  his  throne — "  The 
finest  dining  chair  in  all  Arizona,  sir/'  as  he  often  de 
clared.  "  Sawed  out  from  a  standard  oak  whiskey  bar 
rel  at  Old  Port  Buford  in  '58,  according  to  my  own 
ideas  and  lines,  and  sound  as  a  dollar  to-day,  sir,  and 
it's  only  been  covered  three  times  in  all.  Look  at  it !  " 
And  here,  with  a  flourish,  he  would  whip  off  the  seat. 


26      TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS 

"  Combination  chair  and  butler's  pantry,  sir.  Used  to 
keep  my  whiskey  and  tobacco  there  when  the  redskins 
had  the  run  of  the  post  and  thought  nothing  of  search 
ing  our  quarters.  And  now  Doyle's  used  it  as  the  doc 
tor  prescribed,  and  then  gone  and  forgotten  it !  Haw, 
haw,  haw !  By  Jove,  but  that's  capital  sherry !  Cool 
almost  as  if  it  had  been  iced!  Harris,  my  boy,  you 
don't  drink!" 

There  was  a  moment's  silence.  Then  the  young 
officer  answered,  simply,  yet  almost  apologetically: 

"  Why —     I  never  have,  sir." 


CHAPTER   III. 

IT  happened  at  a  moment  when  Willett,  seated  at 
the  right  of  "  the  lady  of  the  house/'  with  Lilian  at 
his  dexter  side,  had  caught  the  eye  of  his  hostess,  and, 
after  the  manner  of  the  day,  had  raised  his  brimming 
sherry  glass  and,  bowing  low,  was  drinking  to  her 
health,  a  feat  the  general  had  thrice  performed  already. 
"  If  I'd  only  known  of  this,  gentlemen,"  said  their  host, 
but  a  moment  earlier,  with  resultant  access  of  cordial 
ity,  "  and  could  have  found  a  drop  of  Angostura  about 
the  post,  we'd  have  had  a  '  pick-me-up '  before  dinner, 
but  d'you  know  I — I  seldom  have  bitters  about  me. 
I've  no  use  for  cocktails.  I  never  touch  a  drop  of  stingo 
before  twelve  at  noon  or  after  twelve  at  night.  I  agree 
with  old  Bluegrass.  Bluegrass  was  post  surgeon  at  the 
Presidio  when  the  Second  Artillery  came  out  in  '65, 
right  on  the  heels  of  the  war,  and  he  did  his  best  to  wel 
come  them — especially  Breck,  their  adjutant,  also  a 
Kentuckian.  Then  he  was  ordered  East,  and  he  left 
Breck  his  blessing,  his  liquor  case,  and  this  admonition 
— Breck  told  it  himself.  '  Young  man,'  said  he,  '  I  ob 
serve  you  drink  cocktails.  Now,  take  my  advice  and 
don't  do  it.  You  drink  the  bitters  and  they  go  to  your 
nose  and  make  it  red.  You  drink  the  sugar  and  it  goes 
to  your  brain  and  makes  it  wopsy,  and  so — you  lose  all 
the  good  effects  of  the  whiskey' !  Haw,  haw,  haw !  "  It 


28      TONIO,  SON   OF  THE  SIERRAS 

was  a  story  the  genial  old  soldier  much  rejoiced  in,  one 
that  Stannard  had  bet  he  would  tell  before  dinner  was 
half  over,  and  it  came  with  Doyle  and  the  chickens. 
The  kindly,  wrinkled,  beaming  face,  red  with  the  fire 
of  Arizona's  suns,  redder  by  contrast  with  the  white 
mustache  and  imperial,  was  growing  scarlet  with  the 
flame  of  Bentley's  cherished  wine,  when  in  sudden  sur 
prise  he  noted  that  the  junior  officer  present,  seated 
alone  at  his  right  (there  was  no  other  girl  in  all  Camp 
Almy  to  bid  to  the  little  feast,  and  Mrs.  Stannard,  in 
mourning  for  a  brother,  could  not  accept),  had  turned 
down  the  little  sherry  glass.  Thirty  years  ago  such  a 
thing  was  as  uncommon  in  the  army  as  fifty  years  ago 
it  was  unheard  of  in  civil  life.  For  one  instant  after 
the  young  officer's  embarrassed  answer  the  veteran  sat 
almost  as  though  he  had  heard  a  rebuke.  It  was  Mrs. 
Archer  who  came  to  the  relief  of  an  awkward  situation. 
"  Mr.  Harris  believes  in  keeping  in  training,"  she  ven 
tured  lightly.  "  He  could  not  excel  in  mountain  scout 
ing  without  it.  The  general's  scouting  days  are  over 
and  we  indulge  him."  Indeed,  it  wasn't  long  before 
it  began  to  look  as  though  the  general  were  indulging 
himself.  Claret  presently  succeeded  the  sherry,  but 
not  until  Bentley's  health  had  been  drunk  again  and  the 
orderly  summoned  from  the  front  porch  to  go,  with  the 
general's  compliments,  and  tell  him  so.  "  This  claret," 
he  then  declared,  "  is  some  I  saved  from  the  dozen 
Barry  &  Patton  put  aboard  the  Montana  when  I  came 
round  to  Yuma  last  year.  It's  older  than  Lilian,"  this 
with  a  fond  and  playful  pinch  at  the  rosy  cheek  beside 
him,  "  and  almost  as  good.  E"o  diluting  this,  Mr.  Wil- 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS      29 

lett,"  for  he  saw  that  young  officer  glancing  from  the 
empurpled  glass  to  the  single  carafe  that  adorned  the 
table,  its  mate  having  met  dissolution  when  the  general's 
chest  was  prematurely  unloaded  in  Dead  Man's  Canon 
en  route  to  the  post.  "  Dilute  your  California  crudities 
all  you  like,  but  not  the  red  juice  from  the  sunny  vines 
of  France.  No,  sir !  Moreover,  this  and  old  Burgundy 
are  the  wines  you  must  drink  at  blood  heat.  No  Sau- 
turnes  or  Hocks  or  champagnes  for  us  fire  worshippers 
in  Arizona!  Lilian  here  and  my  blessed  wife  yonder 
don't  like  these  red  wines  for  that  reason.  They  want 
something  to  cool  their  dainty  palates,  but  men,  sir,  and 
soldiers —  What's  this,  Bella,  Bellisima  ?  Salad- 
French  dressing — and  cool,  too  !  Bravissima,  my  dear ! 
How  did  you  manage  it  ?  The  olla  ?  Why,  of  course ! 
Cool  anything.  Cool  my  old  head,  if  need  be.  Hey, 
Willett?" 

And  all  this  time,  when  not  chatting  with  the  debo 
nair  officer  at  her  side  or  saying  a  word  to  his  bronzed, 
sun-dried,  silently  observant  comrade  opposite,  Lilian's 
fond  eyes  forever  sought  her  father's  rubicund  face, 
love  and  admiration  in  every  glance.  All  this  time, 
even  while  in  cordial  talk  with  her  guests,  Mrs.  Archer 
never  seemed  to  lose  a  look  or  word  from  her  soldier 
liege ;  never  once  did  her  winsome  smile  or  joyous  laugh 
fail  to  reward  his  sallies;  never  once  came  there  shade 
of  anxiety  upon  her  beaming  face.  "  The  General " 
was  the  head  of  that  house,  and  they  were  his  loyal  sub 
jects.  They  even  sipped  at  the  outermost  ripple  of  the 
thimbleful  of  claret  each  had  permitted  Doyle  to  pour. 
Even  when  a  loud  "  cloop  "  in  the  dark  passageway  to 


30      TONIO,  SON   OF  THE  SIERRAS 

the  kitchen  told  that  another  bottle  was  being  opened 
as  the  omelet  came  in,  borne  aloft  by  white-robed  Suey, 
crowned  with  red  poppies  and  blue  blazes,  and  set  tri 
umphantly  before  the  mistress  of  the  feast,  Harris  could 
detect  no  flu-fcter  of  disapprobation.  Even  when,  later 
still,  the  general's  eager  hand,  stretching  forth  for  the 
dusky  flagon  (it  was  sacrilege  to  sweep  away  those 
insignia  of  age  and  respectability),  managed  to  capsize 
the  candelabrum  and  sent  the  fluid  "  adamantine  "  spat 
tering  a  treasured  table-cloth  (how  quick  the  dash  of 
the  young  trooper's  hand  upon  the  flame — and  its  ex 
tinction!),  a  gentle  smile  was  the  sole  rebuke,  followed 
by  a  "  Thank  you,  Mr.  Harris.  I  hope  you  didn't  burn 
your  hand !  That's  all  my  fault.  The  general  declared 
it  foolish  to  put  candles  on  the  table  when  we  could 
have  sconces  by  the  dozen  on  the  walls. 

Indeed,  there  must  have  been  a  dozen  candles,  not 
to  mention  the  big  lamps  of  forbidden  kerosene  upon 
shelf  and  sideboard,  each  backed  by  its  reflector  of  glis 
tening  tin.  "  We  were  vain,  you  see,"  continued  Mrs. 
Archer,  "  of  our  two  old-fashioned  heirlooms.  Those 
quaint  three-socket  sticks  were  brought  by  the  general's 
grandfather  from  England  in  Colonial  days."  It  was 
so  with  everything  they  had,  though  they  had  so  little. 
The  massive  silver  forks,  the  worn  old  spoons,  the  squat 
little  sugar  bowl  and  creamer  that  came  in  later,  all  bore 
a  crest  and  a  single  word.  All  had  been  "  The  Gen 
eral's  "  before  ever  that  well-descended  veteran  had  bent 
the  knee  in  wooing.  All  had  been  stored  in  San  Fran 
cisco  until  their  coming  to  cheer  his  exile,  but  now  were 
duly  paraded  in  honor  of  their  first  guests  at  Almy,  the 


TONIO,  SON   OF  THE  SIERRAS      31 

young  scout  leader  from  the  southern  border,  and  his 
classmate,  the  new  aide-de-camp  of  the  commanding 
general;  both,  as  was  understood,  to  leave  them  on  the 
morrow. 

And  all  this  time,  too,  though  the  windows,  Arizona 
fashion,  were  blanketed  to  exclude  all  heatful  light 
throughout  the  day  (those  of  the  dining-room  being  hid 
den  behind  J^avajo  fabrics  in  black  and  white,  and  blue 
and  crimson),  the  hallways  were  wide  open  that  no 
breath  of  air  might  be  lost.  The  hounds  clustered  whim 
pering  and  wondering  at  the  doorways,  front  and  rear, 
resentful  of  the  vigilance  with  which  the  orderlies  on 
duty  withstood  their  dashes,  they  who  long  weeks  and 
months  had  had  the  run  of  the  house.  Darkness  had 
settled  down  upon  the  sandy  parade.  The  lights  gleamed 
along  the  opposite  front,  the  long  barracks  of  the  sol 
diery,  and  the  stars  were  glinting  bright  above  the  beet 
ling  pine  crests  beyond  the  murmuring  stream.  Over 
at  the  mess  the  surgeon,  the  adjutant,  quartermaster, 
Captain  Bonner  of  the  infantry,  with  his  subaltern, 
and  solemn  Captain  Turner,  sat  on  the  veranda,  smoked 
their  pipes,  and  even  while  keeping  up  a  semblance  of 
talk,  had  an  eye  and  an  ear  on  the  bungalow — the  "  Old 
Man's  "  quarters  not  three  hundred  feet  away.  The 
boom  of  his  jovial  laughter  still  rang  out  upon  the  air, 
and  presently  the  tinkle  of  guitar,  the  swish  of  feminine 
garments,  the  rasp  of  chairs  and  the  merry  mingling  of 
voices  told  that  the  little  dinner  party,  the  first  the  camp 
had  ever  known — for  what  is  a  dinner  party  without 
women — had  quit  the  table  and  gathered  on  the  porch. 
By  this  time,  too,  an  unclouded  moon  had  sailed  aloft 


32      TONIO,  SON   OF  THE  SIERRAS 

from  behind  the  screen  of  eastward  heights,  and  its 
beams  were  pouring  slantwise  upon  the  group,  that  por 
tion  of  it,  at  least,  that  now  was  seated  near  the  south 
ern  end.  They  who  watched  were  not  slow  to  see  that 
Lilian  had  taken  a  chair  within  a  few  feet  of  the  edge, 
with  Willett  still  in  close  attendance.  The  red  heart  of 
the  general's  cigar  was  visible  midway  between  the  win 
dow  and  the  central  doorway,  but  the  jovial  host  was 
wrapped  in  shade.  The  light  from  the  doorway  fell 
upon  the  white  gown  of  Mrs.  Archer  and  the  trim,  slen 
der,  undersized  figure  of  Lieutenant  Harris,  standing 
before  her.  They  heard  the  general's  voice,  cordial  and 
resonant,  uplifted  presently  in  protest :  "  "No,  don't  go 
yet,  boy.  Let  'Tonio  take  care  of  himself  to-night.  I 
want  you  both  to  hear  Lilian  sing.  Here,  orderly,  you 
go  find  'Tonio  and  give  him  my  compliments —  No! 
you  just  tell  'Tonio  I  want  to  see  him." 

The  orderly  with  Archer,  as  with  many  another  post 
commander,  was  the  final  resort,  the  cure-all,  the  infal 
lible  means  of  settlement  of  all  matters  in  dispute.  The 
orderly  went  and  stood  not  on  the  order  of  his  going. 
He  knew  not  'Tonio,  nor  where  to  find  him,  but  he  knew 
better  than  to  say  so — to  say  anything.  He  went 
straightway  to  the  sergeant  of  the  guard,  than  whom 
no  man  is  supposed  to  know  more  what  is  going  on 
about  the  post.  That  Harris  might  have  the  pleasure 
of  hearing  the  promised  song  (he  surely  could  not  think 
of  going  now)  the  mess  devoutly  hoped,  and  were  in 
nowise  too  content  when  the  sound  of  moving,  of  people 
getting  to  their  feet,  and  of  Archer's  jocund  welcome, 
told  that  callers  had  come  to  join  the  recent  revellers, 


TONIO,  SON   OF  THE  SIERRAS     33 

and  that  meant,  of  course,  the  Stannards,  for  there  was 
really  no  one  else.  And  then  it  was  remembered  that 
Stannard  had  said  that  Mrs.  Archer  had  asked  that  they 
should  come  over  after  dinner,  since  they  could  not  well 
attend  it.  Lilian's  singing  was  something  all  save  these 
two  young  soldiers  had  already  heard,  enjoyed  and 
longed  to  hear  again,  and  the  mess  could  not  but  wish 
that  old  Stannard  had  not  been  so  exact  in  his  inter 
pretation,  and  punctual  in  his  acceptance  of  that  invi 
tation.  There  followed  a  few  minutes  of  general  talk 
and  laughter,  and  then  Archer's  voice  was  again  domi 
nant.  Nothing  would  do  but  that  the  Stannards  both 
come  in  and  taste  that  famous  claret  (which  neither 
desired  after  dinner,  however  much  it  might  then  have 
been  enjoyed).  Then  all  went  trooping  in-doors  again, 
all  save  Lilian  and  Lieutenant  Harris,  for  presently 
these  two  came  sauntering  into  the  moonlight  at  the 
southward  end  of  the  veranda.  The  girl  resumed  her 
seat  and  guitar ;  the  young  officer  the  chair  lately  occu 
pied  by  Willett,  and  here  full  ten  minutes  were  they 
in  conversation  when  the  orderly  came  stalking  back 
from  the  guard-house ;  the  quintette  came  flocking  forth 
from  the  hallway,  and  Willett,  coming  to  resume  his 
seat  and  chat,  found  his  classmate  in  possession.  It  was 
the  first  opportunity  that  had  fallen  to  Harris,  and  if 
Willett  hoped  or  expected  that  he  would  rise  and  sur 
render  in  his  favor  he  was  doomed  to  disappointment. 
Harris  never  so  much  as  turned  his  head. 

They  were  an  odd  contrast,  these  two  young  gradu 
ates  of  the  nation's  soldier  school,  as  they  looked  to  Cap 
tain  Stannard  that  November  night.  He  spoke  of  it 


34      TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS 

to  his  wife  and  thought  of  it  long  after,  for  he,  too,  had 
come  toward  the  little  group  a  bit  impatient,  it  must 
be  owned,  of  the  general'' s  mellow  monologue,  and 
wearying  of  a  conversation  in  which  he  had  no  part. 
But  here  again  Stannard  found  scant  opportunity. 
Miss  Archer,  bending  slightly  forward,  was,  with  much 
animation  describing  to  Mr.  Harris  the  brilliant  ball 
given  by  the  artillery  at  the  Presidio  just  before  they 
were  hurried  off  to  that  fatal  Modoc  war.  Harris,  car 
ing  little  for  the  affair,  and  possibly  hearing  little  of 
what  she  was  saying,  sat  as  though  drinking  in  every 
word,  and  gazing  enthralled  upon  the  beauty  of  her  sweet 
young  face.  He,  too,  was  bending  forward,  his  lithe, 
slender,  supple  frame  clad  in  the  trim  undress  uniform 
of  the  day,  his  clear-cut  face,  with  its  thin,  almost  hol 
low  cheeks,  tanned  brown  by  the  blazing  suns  of  the 
southern  desert,  his  hair  cropped  close  to  his  shapely 
head,  his  gray-blue  eyes,  large,  full  and  steady,  fixed 
unswerving  upon  her.  Leaning  on  his  elbow,  one  lean 
brown  hand  was  toying  with  the  sun-bleached  ends  of 
his  mustache,  the  other,  with  the  class  ring  gleaming  in 
the  moonlight,  lay  idly  on  his  knee.  Lacking  stature, 
size  or  weight,  the  physical  attributes  that  make  a  man 
impressive,  he  looked  the  picture  of  the  young  athlete, 
firm  and  fit  and  trained  for  speed  and  staying  power, 
yet  cold  in  his  steel-like  strength  and  quality. 

Overtopping  him,  standing  where  he,  too,  could  hear 
and  gaze,  elegant  in  form,  graceful  in  pose,  and  precise 
in  dress,  the  picture  of  chivalric  officer  and  gentleman, 
Hal  Willett  had  the  advantage  of  nearly  six  more  inches 
in  height,  a  presence  that  was  at  once  commanding  and 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE   SIERRAS      35 

assured,  and  a  face  as  strikingly  handsome  as  that  of 
Harris  was  severely  plain.  Willett's  eyes  and  hair  were 
of  a  deep,  lustrous  brown,  his  eyebrows  thick  and  heav 
ily  arched,  his  mouth  soft,  sensitive,  with  lips  that  were 
beautifully  curved  and  teeth  that  were  white  and  well- 
nigh  perfect.  His  mustache,  though  long  and  curling, 
was  carefully  trained  away  so  as  to  hide  none  of  the 
charms  that  lurked  beneath.  He  looked  at  once  the 
knight  of  the  ballroom  and  the  battlefield,  a  man 
to  make  his  mark  in  either  contest,  love  or  war,  and 
make  it  he  had.  Life  had  been  full  of  gifts  to  Harold 
Willett.  He  came  from  old  border  stock.  His  name 
was  first  of  the  presidential  ten  the  year  he  entered  the 
Point,  first  on  the  list  of  cadet  corporals  in  the  yearling 
June  and  first  among  the  first  sergeants  the  following 
year.  An  uncontradicted  rumor  had  it  that  he  could 
have  been  sergeant-major,  but  that  he  told  the  com 
mandant  his  ambition  lay  in  the  senior  captaincy, 
and  first  captain  he  had  been  named  his  first  class  sum 
mer,  only  to  lose  it  late  in  August,  the  penalty  of 
a  rash  and  forbidden  exploit  for  the  sake  of  a  smile, 
and  possibly  a  caress,  and  lose  it  to  the  man  who,  starting 
at  the  foot  of  the  list  of  his  chevroned  fellows  two  years 
before,  had  risen  only  to  "  late  sergeant "  of  a  centre 
company  when  they  came  from  furlough,  but,  standing 
foremost  in  "  Tactics,"  well  up  in  every  subject  but 
French  and  drawing,  and  impeccable  in  conduct,  won 
a,  captaincy  in  spite  of  his  lack  of  inches.  Graduating 
a  dozen  files  ahead  of  his  brilliant  comrade,  Harris  had 
sought  and  won  commission  in  the  cavalry,  was  sent  to 
duty  in  New  Mexico  and  then  in  Arizona,  ever  roughing 


36      TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

it  in  the  deserts  or  the  mountains  until  in  physique  he 
was  hard  as  hickory,  and  in  spirit  wellnigh  as  elastic. 
Never  until  this  recent  experience  in  the  Apache  Mo- 
have  country  had  he  shown  symptom  of  discouragement. 
Now  it  was  the  more  noticeable  because  coupled,  it 
would  seem,  with  distrust — distrust  of  him  who  had 
been  for  two  years  past  an  inseparable  guide  and  even 
comrade,  "Tonio,  "  gran  capitan  "  of  Indian  scouts. 

And  even  as  he  sat  there  absorbed  in  the  sweet  vision 
in  the  moonlight  before  him,  studying  the  play  of  her 
sensitive  lips,  forgetful  for  the  moment  of  all  else  about 
him,  there  fell  across  the  glistening  boarding  at  her  feet 
the  shadow  of  a  turbaned  head,  at  sight  of  which  she 
started,  with  faint,  half -suppressed  cry  of  fright ;  then, 
as  though  ashamed,  broke  into  a  nervous  little  laugh. 
Harris  was  in  an  instant  on  his  feet,  and  whirling,  con 
fronted  'Tonio,  tall,  gaunt,  silent,  impassive. 

"  Que  quiere  ?  "  he  demanded,  in  the  blunt  vernacular 
of  the  service.  It  annoyed  him  that  subordinate  of  his 
should  thus  appear  unseen,  unheard,  unsummoned,  and 
to  her  affright.  lie  forgot  the  noiseless  sand,  the  soft- 
soled  moccasins,  the  native  stealth;  forgot  at  the  mo 
ment  the  general's  mandate  and  the  orderly's  mission. 
It  flashed  upon  him  at  'Tonio's  quiet  answer,  grave, 
unresentful,  and  in  the  Apache  tongue. 

"  My  chief  called  me." 

"Pardon  me  just  one  moment,  Miss  Archer.  I'll 
come  back  at  once,"  said  Harris,  bending  over  the  still 
trembling  girl.  Then,  turning  sharply  and  bidding 
'Tonio  follow,  his  eyes  met  those  of  Willett,  smiling 
affably. 


TONIO,  SON  OF   THE   SIERRAS      37 

"  I'll  keep  it  while  you're  gone,  Hefty/'  said  he,  with 
laughing  ease  of  manner,  sliding  promptly  into  the  va 
cated  seat.  "  Now,  Miss  Archer,  if  you'll  be  so  good 
as  to  go  right  on  where  you  left  off,  I'll  be  all  gratitude 
and  attention." 

Without  answer,  Harris  stepped  lightly  over  to  where 
the  general  and  Stannard  were  now  deep  in  one-sided 
argument  over  the  merits  of  a  war-time  leader,  known 
well  to  men  of  the  Union  Army  east  or  west ;  the  general 
declaiming,  the  junior  listening,  unconvinced.  It  was 
one  point  on  which  they  differed  widely,  one  on  which 
the  general  was  apt  to  dilate  when  warmed  by  wine. 
He  had  had  only  moderate  aid  from  Willett  in  disposing 
of  two  bottles  of  sound  old  claret,  and  one  was  enough 
to  set  the  garrulous  tongue  to  wagging.  He  would  not 
cease  at  sight  of  Harris,  standing  silent  and  respectful 
before  him.  Stannard  had  to  interpose  and  say,  "  You 
sent  for  'Tonio,  sir,  as  I  happened  to  hear,"  as  indeed 
they  all  did,  far  and  near,  whereat  the  veteran  turned. 

"  Bless  my  soul,  boy,  so  I  did !  What  for,  I  won 
der?" 

"  To  save  my  going  over  with  night  orders  for  the 
scouts,  I  think,  sir,"  said  Harris  promptly,  "  and,  un 
less  you  wish  to  see  him  personally,  I'll  tell  him  now." 

"  Must  you  make  so  early  a  start,  Harris  ?  It's  only 
thirty  miles  to  the  canon." 

"  I  know,  sir,  but  I  need  to  be  at  Bennett's  before 
sunrise.  Their  scouts  would  see  us  if  we  started  later. 
We  go  on  to  the  canon  after  I  have  examined  that  neigh- 
Dorhood." 

"  All  right,  then.     Buckets  will  issue  rations  at  once. 


38      TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS 

Start  when  you  think  best.  But  now,  Stannard,  see 
here ;  if  he  was  such  a  stayer  and  so  energetic  in  Vir 
ginia,  how  do  you  account  for " 

But  Harris  had  saluted  and  turned  away,  'Tonio  at 
his  heels.  As  they  passed  the  end  of  the  veranda,  where 
sat  Lilian  and  her  listener,  Harris  noted  that  the  latter 
had  drawn  his  chair  much  closer  than  he  had  dared, 
and  was  bending  forward  until  the  handsome  dark  head 
was  almost  over  the  fair  hand  toying  with  the  guitar 
that  lay  idly  in  her  lap.  The  modern  vernacular  for 
the  successful  squire  of  dames  was  then  unknown.  The 
girl,  who  had  been  leaning  forward,  all  chat  and  ani 
mation  when  Harris  sat  there,  now  lay  dreamily  back  in 
the  rude  but  easy  chair,  her  eyelids  drooping,  her  long 
lashes  sweeping  the  soft  cheek,  listening,  drinking  in 
the  murmurous  flow  of  Willett's  almost  inaudible 
words,  and  the  stern  young  face  of  his  classmate  hard 
ened  in  the  moonlight,  for  Harris  had  seen  and  heard 
before.  Briefly  he  gave  his  instructions  to  the  silent 
Apache  and  closed  with  the  sign,  "  I  have  spoken.  That 
is  all." 

But  'Tonio  did  not  stir.  Something,  possibly,  in  Wil- 
lett's  devotional  attitude  vaguely  troubled  the  girl,  andA 
edging  back  in  her  chair,  she  had  lifted  a  little  slippered 
foot  from  the  floor.  The  general  at  the  moment  was 
talking  loud  enough  to  drown  other  sounds  about  him. 
The  aide-de-camp,  his  dark  eyes  glowing  and  riveted 
on  those  of  the  fair  face  so  near  him,  seemed  deaf  to 
everything  but  his  own  eloquence.  But  the  Indian  had 
placed  one  hand  on  his  young  officer's  wrist,  and  with 
the  other  stood  pointing  at  some  object  coiled  under- 


TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS      39 

neatli  Lilian's  chair,  not  half  an  arm's  length  from  the 
little  foot  that  dangled  in  its  silken  stocking  but  a 
hand's-breadth  from  the  floor.  At  that  moment  Wil- 
lett  bent  impressively,  still  nearer,  and  instinctively 
Lilian  moved  a  hand  as  though  about  to  edge  farther 
away.  It  was  at  this  very  instant  that  Harris  spoke, 
his  voice,  absolutely  calm,  even  to  the  semblance  of  a 
drawl,  but  every  word  told  clear,  distinct,  and,  in  spite 
of  its  courtesy,  commanding,  compelling. 

"  Miss  Archer  and — ah — Willett,  be  good  enough  to 
sit  perfectly  still  a  moment.  Don't — move — a  mus 
cle!" 

Even  the  general,  for  a  wonder,  had  ceased — for 
breath,  perhaps — and  sat  speechless  and  startled,  for 
noiseless  and  stealthy  as  a  cat,  with  long  strides,  'Tonio 
had  skirted  the  edge  of  the  veranda,  and  with  agile- 
spring  was  at  the  back  of  Lilian's  chair.  There  he 
swooped  instantly.  There  was  sound  of  strident,  rasp 
ing  sk-r-r-r-rr:  then  a  lightning  snap,  as  of  a  whip. 
Something  black  and  writhing  went  flying  into  the  sand, 
and  then  squirming  blindly  away,  and  'Tonio  straight 
ened  to  his  full  height,  and  without  a  word  strode  from 
the  veranda. 

"  In  God's  name,  what  was  that  ?  "  cried  the  gen 
eral,  springing  from  his  chair  and  hastening  to  his 
daughter's  side. 

"  Nothing  but  a  snake,  sir,"  said  Harris  quietly, 
strolling  toward  them.  "  That  one's  done  for,  any 
how!" 


CHAPTER  IV 

AN  hour  later  the  lights  were  out  among  the  barracks, 
and  the  silence  of  the  summerlike  winter's  night  had  set 
tled  on  the  garrison.  Over  at  the  Mess  and  office  build 
ings  all  was  darkness.  Along  the  log  and  adobe  facade 
of  the  officers'  quarters,  from  occasional  open  doorways 
the  gleam  of  lantern  was  thrown  across  the  wooden 
verandas.  The  moonbeams  flooded  the  sandy  parade 
and  the  rough-hewn  roofs  and  walls  with  tender,  silvery 
radiance  that  put  to  shame  the  twinkling  lights,  down 
at  the  store  on  the  lower  flats,  and  the  bleary  eye  of  the 
big,  triangular,  glass-faced,  iron-bound  cresset  at  the 
log  guard-house,  perched  at  the  edge  of  the  mesa.  Afar 
off,  through  dim  vistas  of  the  valley,  the  silver  ribbon 
of  the  stream  wound  and  twisted  among  the  willows,  but 
the  heights,  as  a  rule,  were  wrapped  in  the  shadows  of 
their  own  pines.  A  game  of  goodly  proportion  was 
going  on  down  at  the  card  room,  a  brace  of  ranchmen 
and  prospectors,  a  venturesome  "  sub  "  and  the  "  con 
tract  doctor  "  making  up  the  party,  but  the  general, 
his  household  and  near  neighbors  had  retired  or  were 
retiring  for  the  night.  Only  the  guard  and  the  "  owls  " 
were  "  on  deck."  Army  folk  in  those  days  and  regions 
had  a  way  of  turning  out  at  dawn  for  the  cool  of  the 
morning,  turning  in  at  taps  for  the  needed  six  hours' 
beauty  sleep,  lunching  lightly  at  noon,  snoozing  drowsily 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS     41 

an  hour  or  two,  then  after  tub  and  fresh  linen,  ventur 
ing  forth,  those  who  had  to,  for  the  afternoon  duties. 
All  social  enjoyment,  as  a  rule,  began  when  the  sun 
could  not  see,  but  had  dropped  back  of  the  screen  of 
the  mountains. 

But  there  was  still  faint  stir  at  the  camp  of  the 
scouts,  out  beyond  the  corrals.  Rations  had  been  drawn 
at  tattoo,  and  a  limited  portion  issued  to  the  lithe, 
swarthy  fellows,  squatted  in  semicircle  in  front  of  their 
chief,  patiently  awaiting  their  share,  no  man  of  their 
number  opening  so  much  as  the  end  of  a  package,  either 
of  cartridge  or  cracker,  until  the  last  had  his  dole  and 
all  were  served.  It  was  known  that  before  dawn  they 
were  again  to  set  forth,  whither,  not  even  'Toniu  had 
been  told,  and  'Tonio  had  noted  and  felt  it.  Hitherto 
there  had  been  counsel  between  his  young  commander 
and  himself.  This  night  there  had  been  none.  Instead, 
only  half  an  hour  after  the  exciting  episode  at  the  com 
manding  officer's  and  the  despatching  of  the  intruding 
rattler,  'Tonio  had  been  summoned  to  the  adjutant's 
office  and  then  questioned  by  Lieutenant  Willett,  with 
cargador  Munoz,  not  Lieutenant  Harris,  serving  as  in 
terpreter.  Hitherto  'Tonio  had  conducted  his  confer 
ence  with  the  Great  Father's  captains  with  Lieutenant 
Harris  translating.  It  was  significant  both  to  that 
officer  and  to  'Tonio  that  this  time  a  pack  train  employe 
had  been  selected,  his  name  having  been  suggested  at 
head-quarters  at  Prescott,  and  an  orderly  sent  for  him 
early  by  way  of  caution,  for  Munoz  loved  monte  and 
mescal.  Another  significant  thing  was  that  Harris  had 
declined  an  invitation  to  be  present  at ' Tonio' s  examina- 


42      TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

tion.  "  If  Mr.  Willett  has  any  question  to  ask  me," 
he  said,  "he'll  find  me  at  Dr.  Bentley's,"  whither,  in 
deed,  he  had  repaired,  as  it  were,  awaiting  summons. 

Moreover,  it  was  patent  to  Stannard  and  Turner  and 
Dr.  Bentley,  too,  that  Harris  took  it  much  amiss  that 
Willett  should  at  last  disclose  the  fact  that  he  was  there 
to  "  investigate."  He  had  said  nothing  of  it  the  night 
before.  He  had  put  up  at  the  adjutant's,  after  quite  a 
long  session  at  the  Mess,  an  affair  attended  by  Harris 
only  an  hour  or  so,  and  even  then  only  as  an  absorbed 
listener,  with  other  fellow-soldiers,  to  Willett's  brilliant 
description  of  the  recent  campaign  in  the  lava  beds, 
culminating  as  it  had  in  the  brutal  massacre  by  the 
Modocs  of  their  would-be  best  friends,  the  peace  com 
missioners,  and  General  Canby.  After  taps,  however, 
despite  his  long  and  dusty  buckboard  ride,  Willett  saw 
fit  to  "  sit  in  "  to  the  game  almost  always  in  progress 
down  at  the  trader's  store.  Whereupon  Stannard, 
Turner  and  Harris,  non-participants  ever,  took  them 
selves  off  to  bed.  It  was  not  much  of  a  game,  said 
Strong,  who  was  there,  only  Willett,  Craney,  Watson, 
Briggs  and  himself,  and  was  remarkable  for  only  one 
fact,  that  Case,  the  bookkeeper,  who  never  before  had 
seemed  to  care  to  play,  had  happened  in  late,  looked 
curiously  on  a  moment,  and  then,  without  having  been 
presented  to  Willett,  seemed  desirous  of  taking  a  hand. 
Craney  wondered  if  Case  had  been  drinking  again,  but 
Willett  took  no  notice.  Willett  was  feeling  very  jolly, 
said  Strong,  and  it  was  quite  late  when  they  finally 
quit; 

Harris  was  up  with  the  sun  looking  over  his  pack 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS      43 

train  and  observing  'Tonio  and  his  fellows.  Willett  did 
not  turn  out  until  office  hours,  when  he  had  a  conference 
with  General  Archer,  ending  in  his  expressing  a  wish 
to  "  look  about "  him  for  the  day.  He  had  asked  no 
questions  of  Harris;  had  met  him  heartily,  as  class 
mates  should,  but  with  just  a  suspicion  of  superiority 
of  manner  that  Harris  could  not  like,  and  without  a 
word  of  appreciation  of  the  capital  soldier  work  Harris 
had  been  doing. 

There  was  another  reason  why  Harris  resented  Wil- 
lett's  investigating  his  scout  that  second  evening.  A 
total  abstainer  himself  from  boyhood,  reared  by  a  care 
ful  mother  and  aware  for  many  a  year  that  his  father's 
occasional  lapses  were  her  perennial  dread,  Harris  had 
set  his  canon  against  the  practice  from  the  day  he 
doffed  the  gray  at  West  Point,  and  never  swerved  from 
his  creed  after  donning  the  blue.  ISTot  so  with  Willett. 
"Not  so  with  nine-tenths  of  his  associates.  Harris  had 
seen,  without  remark,  that  Willett  enjoyed  the  occa 
sional  beverages  mixed  for  him  at  the  Mess  in  the  late 
afternoon,  and  again  had  noted  that  his  comrade  did 
quite  his  share  this  second  evening  toward  finishing 
the  doctor's  sherry,  though  it  was  the  "  Old  Man,"  after 
all,  who  "  got  away  with  "  most  of  the  Bordeaux.  Twice 
after  dinner  Archer  had  ushered  his  guests  within 
doors,  once  to  try  what  was  left  of  the  claret,  and  later, 
after  the  snake  episode,  when  some  nerves  might  be  in 
need  of  bracing,  to  sample  some  phenomenal  Monon- 
gahela.  Then  when  Harris  was  through,  after  saying 
good-night,  he  was  presently  followed  by  Willett,  flushed 
in  face  and  abrupt  in  manner.  Miss  Archer  had  been 


44     TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

spirited  off  by  her  mother,  and  presumably  gone  to  bed. 
She'd  get  used  to  snakes  if  she  stayed  long  in  Arizona, 
said  Willett.  What  was  the  sense  in  scaring  her,  any 
way  ?  Why  hadn't  Harris  quietly  given  him  the  tip  ? 
He  could  have  snapped  Mr.  Eattler's  head  off  with 
out  anybody  being  the  wiser,  and  Harris  saw  that  the 
night-caps,  taken  on  top  of  all  that  preceded,  had  tangled 
Willett's  ideas,  despite  which  fact  Willett  now  an 
nounced  that  he  had  summoned  the  interpreter  and  de 
sired  Harris  to  send  'Tonio  to  the  office  for  investigation 
at  once. 

And  Willett  represented  the  commanding  general, 
who  knew  nothing  of  what  was  going  on,  and  Harris 
could  only  obey. 

It  was  a  dramatic  scene  as  it  opened.  Willett  had  not 
failed  to  hand  a  copy  of  his  instructions  to  the  post  oom- 
mander  and  had  left  entirely  to  his  judgment  the  ques 
tion  as  to  whether  the  officers  should  be  present.  Archer 
had  decided  against  it.  'Tonio  might  be  alarmed.  It 
were  better,  he  said,  that  no  one  except  the  post  adju 
tant,  the  interpreter,  and  Lieutenants  Willett  and  Har 
ris  appear,  and  then  Harris,  whose  letter  from  the  field 
announcing  the  ill  success  of  the  scout  was  the  original 
cause  of  the  investigation,  said  he  preferred  to  be  ex 
cused.  Harris  did  not  wish  to  appear  to  'Tonio  in  the 
light  of  an  accuser,  and  Willett  was  secretly  better  con 
tent  that  his  classmate  should  stay  away. 

Down  in  the  bottom  of  his  heart  Willett  felt  that  four 
years  of  such  experiences  as  Harris  had  encountered 
made  him  a  far  better  judge  of  Apache  methods  and  mo- 
tives  than  he,  Willett,  could  expect  to  be.  Moreover,  he 


TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS      45 

knew  well  that,  were  he  in  Harris's  place,  he  should  re 
sent  it  that  an  officer  no  higher  in  grade,  and  inferior 
in  Arizona  craft,  should  be  sent  to  inquire  into  the 
conduct  of  his  scout.  It  was  just  one  of  those  things 
a  tactless  chief  of  staff  would  sometimes  do;  but,  even 
though  Willett  appreciated,  none  the  less  did  he  wel 
come  the  order.  It  put  him  at  once  in  position  of 
ascendency  over  a  classmate  of  whose  record  and  suc 
cess  he  was  both  jealous  and  afraid.  If  he  had  felt 
this  earlier  in  the  day  the  feeling  was  intensified  now, 
for  though  he  had  seemed  to  some  of  the  officers,  to 
Archer  and  his  family,  especially  to  Lilian,  far  the 
more  accomplished  and  attractive  of  the  two,  the  en 
trance  of  that  disturbing  rattler  on  the  scene  had  de 
stroyed  the  equilibrium  of  affairs.  Willett  had  had  no 
experience  with  the  venomous  little  reptile,  Harris  had 
had  much,  and  Harris's  utter  sang  froid,  and  cool,  com 
manding  words  had  averted  what  might  have  been  a 
tragedy.  One  start,  one  sudden  move  of  the  girl  at 
that  critical  moment  might  well  have  been  fatal.  The 
snake,  alarmed  and  angered  by  previous  stir  and  by 
Willett's  approaches,  was  actually  coiled  for  the  spring. 
The  tiny  fangs  would  have  fastened  in  a  flash  on  that 
slender,  unprotected  ankle,  and  the  rest  could  only  be 
conjectured. 

And  so,  it  was  in  no  judicial  mood  that  Willett  began 
his  questioning.  Accustomed  as  he  was  to  the  hang-dog, 
dissolute  specimens  of  degenerate  red  men  he  had  seen 
in  the  Columbia  country  and  the  lava  beds,  he  hardly 
knew  what  to  make  of  'Tonio,  this  ascetic  of  the  moun 
tains,  clear  eyed,  trained  to  a  fineness  almost  unhuman, 


46      TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

all  wire  and  sinew,  an  Indian  withal  who  looked  him 
straight  and  fearless  in  the  eye,  and  held  himself  as 
proudly  as  ever  did  chieftain  of  the  Aztecs  or  the  Sioux. 
Summoned  from  the  camp  fire  to  this  unsought  council, 
finding  himself  confronted  by  strangers,  missing  his 
own  friend  and  commander,  and  instinctively  scenting 
accusation,  'Tonio  stood  and  faced  his  judges  without 
so  much  as  a  tremor. 

For  a  moment  Willett  sat  and  studied  him.  "  Si- 
washes  "  of  Puget's  Sound,  Klickatats  of  the  Co 
lumbia,  and  scowling,  beetle-browed  Modocs  of  upper 
Nevada  he  had  often  met,  and  their  shifting  eyes 
dropped  before  the  keen  gaze  of  the  dominant  soldier, 
but  this  son  of  the  Sierras  never  so  much  as  suffered 
the  twitch  of  a  muscle,  the  droop  of  an  eyelash.  In 
the  language  of  the  "  greaser  "  cargador,  whose  border 
vernacular  had  suffered  through  long  contact  with  that 
of  the  gringo,  "  'Tonio  didn't  scare  worth  a  damn,  even 
when  the  lieutenant  tried  bulldozing/7  but  that  may 
merely  have  been  the  expression  of  civilian  jealousy 
of  military  methods.  Being  in  the  pay  and  under 
the  protection  of  the  United  States,  'Tonio  could  be 
called  on  for  explanation  at  any  time,  only — there  were 
two  ways  of  calling. 

"Tell  him,"  said  Willett,  "the  chief -of -chiefs  be 
lieves  the  Apache  Mohaves  are  hiding  in  the  Mogollon, 
— many  of  them — bucks,  squaws  and  children,  and  he 
was  sent  to  find  them  and  to  bring  them  to  the  reser 
vation.  Why  did  he  fail  ?  " 

Muiioz,  as  nearly  as  he  could,  put  the  question,  but 
none  too  confidently. 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS      47 

"  Because  my  people  were  driven  beyond  sound  of 
'Tonio's  voice/'  was  the  calm  reply,  the  eyes  for  the 
officer,  the  words  for  the  man,  and  Munoz  again  trans 
lated. 

"  How  so  ?     Was  not  word  sent  them  by  Arahawa  ?  " 

"  Arahawa  said  the  white  brother  would  come  with 
food  and  presents  to  lead  them  home.  What  they  saw 
was  guns  and  scouts  and  soldiers.  Therefore,  they  were 
afraid  and  fled.  Soldiers  with  guns  catch  no  Mohaves 
who  fear.  Therefore  was  it  useless,  and  I  tired." 

"  Could  you  have  caught  them  and  persuaded  them 
had  you  gone  alone  ?  "  And  Willett  asked  as  he  had 
been  instructed  at  headquarters. 

"  Caught?  Yes!  Persuaded?  No!  They  say 
white  soldiers  killed  Comes  Flying,  brother  to  Chief 
Lone  Pine." 

"  How  does  he  know  Comes  Flying  was  killed  ?  We 
heard  it  only  the  night  I  reached  Prescott.  No  one 
has  told  it — here."  And  now  the  officer's  eyes  were 
glittering.  The  adjutant  shifted  uneasily  in  his  chair. 
This  was  news  to  him.  Comes  Flying  stood  second  only 
to  Lone  Pine  in  the  tribe,  yet  Camp  Almy  had  not 
heard  it.  'Tonio  had  told  it  not  even  to  Harris. 

"  The  mountain  eagle  is  'Tonio's  friend ;  the  bear, 
the  lynx,  the  birds  are  his  brothers." 

"  Then  you  knew  the  Apache  Mohaves  were  in  the 
Verde  Valley — and  in  Dead  Man's  Canon  as  late  as  last 
week — that  they  had  raided  Stoner's  Eanch  ?  " 

"  They  were  not  there,  nor  did  they  raid  Stoner's 
Ranch !  My  people  stayed  not  even  on  the  East  Fork. 
They  fled  deep  in  the  Mogollon." 


48      TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

Willett  gave  vent  to  impatient  "  Pish ! "  The  Ind 
ians  he  had  known  all  lied,  of  course,  but  looked  it. 
This  man  looked  him  full  in  the  face,  even  as  he  lied, 
and  looked  the  truth. 

"  I'll  show  you  why  we  know  you  lie,"  said  he  im 
pulsively,  but  the  adjutant  held  up  a  warning  hand, 
saying,  "  Listen !  " 

Through  the  open  doorway,  barred  against  unauthor 
ized  intruder  by  the  single  soldier,  standing  beyond  ear 
shot  upon  the  level  of  the  parade,  there  came  the  pro 
longed  cry  of  a  sentry  at  the  upper  end  of  the  garrison. 
Number  Three  had  repeated,  but  Number  Four  was 
impatient,  imperative,  and  the  yell  came  again :  "  Cor 
poral  of  the  Guard,  Number  Four !  " 

"  That  means  something,"  said  the  adjutant,  spring 
ing  to  his  feet.  "  I'll  be  back  in  a  minute  if  it  doesn't," 
and  away  he  went,  swift-speeding  under  the  flagstaff, 
and  Munoz  followed  straight  to  the  base  of  the  staff, 
where  the  trumpeter  of  the  guard  and  three  or  four  men 
from  the  barracks  were  already  gathered,  their  own 
surreptitious,  blanket-shrouded  game  for  the  moment 
forgotten.  They  were  staring  through  the  moonlight 
straight  away  to  the  northeastward  chain  of  heights, 
rocky  and  precipitous,  that  spanned  the  valley  in  that 
direction,  and  suddenly  two  of  them  gave  tongue: 

"  There  it  is  again !     Didn't  I  tell  you  ?  " 

Far  away  among  the  pines  at  the  crest  a  tiny  blaze 
shot  into  the  skies,  brilliant  even  in  the  moonshine. 
"  Signal  fire,  sure !  "  said  three  voices  at  once.  "  Signal 
fire,  sure !  "  echoed  other  voices,  as  more  men  came 
running  forth  from  the  barracks  to  join  the  watchers 


TONIO,  SON   OF  THE   SIERRAS      49 

on  the  parade.  "  Signal  fire,  sure,  and  right  up  over 
the  Bennett  Ranch — where  the  general  was  to-day !  " 

"  My  God,  I  wonder  have  they  jumped  it !  Yonder 
comes  the  corporal — back — running !  " 

Back,  indeed,  and  running  and  straight  for  the  doc 
tor's,  where  he  could  be  heard  banging  at  the  open  door. 
So  away  went  the  trumpeter,  full  tilt  for  tidings,  and 
others,  impatient,  followed.  Instead  of  coming  back 
the  trumpeter  kept  on,  running  still  harder  toward  the 
brow  of  the  hill  and  the  post  of  Number  Four.  It  was 
the  corporal  who  called  to  his  halting  and  anxious  fel 
lows: 

"  It's  Bennett's  Ranch !  His  dago's  in  with  the  news 
— mos'  dead  down  there  on  Number  Four ;  says  they've 
killed  the  whole  family — 'Patchie  Mohaves !  " 

There  was  awed  silence  one  moment.  Then  a  deep 
voice  broke  it,  and  all  eyes  turned  on  the  speaker, 
'Tonio. 

"  Apache  Mohave?    No!    'No!!99 


CHAPTER  V. 

BENNETT'S  "  dago/'  when  halted  by  IsTumber  Pour, 
was  as  limp  a  specimen  of  humanity  as  that  drowsy 
young  trooper  had  seen  in  all  his  soldier  days.  Ben 
nett's  dago  was  no  stranger  to  the  post,  having  occasion 
ally  come  thither  on  errands  for  his  employer,  and 
semi-occasionally  appeared  without  such  semblance  of 
authority,  but,  whether  his  mission  was  for  master  or 
man,  it  had  never  hitherto  failed  to  lead  to  the  store 
and  monte.  Small  as  was  the  garrison,  and  few  as  were 
the  neighboring  ranches,  there  was  generally  business 
enough  to  support  two  card  rooms,  one  for  officers  and 
the  <e  genie  fino  " — the  trader,  his  partner,  the  chief 
packer,  forage  master,  and  an  occasional  rancher  or 
prospector ;  the  other,  a  big  one,  and  often  a  riotous,  for 
the  soldiery,  scouts,  packers  and  riffraff  of  the  frontier, 
and  for  this  establishment  Bennett's  dago  had  an  in 
describable  fascination.  Here  he  had  met  and  differed 
with  Munoz,  the  two  coming  to  a  knife  duel,  promptly 
suppressed  by  the  gun  butts  of  the  guard.  None  the  less 
was  Munoz  called  into  requisition  as  interpreter,  for 
between  peril,  exhaustion  and  defective  English  the 
"  dago  "  could  only  splutter  an  unintelligible  jargon 
that  might  have  been  Sicilian,  Maltese,  or  Calabrian, 
but  could  not  be  Spanish.  Bennett,  it  seems,  had  picked 
him  up  for  dead  on  the  Verde  road,  early  in  the  spring 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS      51 

of  the  year,  and  Mrs.  Bennett  had  nursed  the  poor  devil 
back  to  life.  Then  it  turned  out  that  he  knew  how  to 
cook.  Later  it  transpired  that  he  had  been  with  a 
Mexican  "  outfit/'  prospecting  for  gold ;  had  taken 
mountain  fever,  become  a  burden  to  them,  and  was  left 
to  look  out  for  himself  at  a  tank  in  Dead  Man's  Canon. 
He  paid  for  his  keep  in  cooking  and  chores,  said  Ben 
nett,  and  picked  up  enough  English  to  enable  him  to  get 
along  about  the  ranch.  He  presently  showed  desire  to  care 
for  the  horses  and  mules  and  to  ride  them,  and  one  day  he 
disappeared  with  Bennett's  best  saddle  mule  and  was 
gone  forty-eight  hours,  and  on  his  return  gravely  ten 
dered  Bennett  a  five-dollar  gold  piece  in  payment  for 
his  time  and  mule  while  away.  He  said  he  won  it  at 
monte,  and  it  was  proved  that  he  had  found  his  way 
to  the  card  room,  as  a  mule  does  to  water,  and,  without 
knowledge  of  English,  displayed  consummate  skill  in 
the  game ;  had  played  only  two  hours,  had  won  twenty 
dollars  and  departed  at  dusk.  But  his  winnings  were 
in  greenbacks  and  silver.  Whence  had  come  the  gold  ? 
The  trader's  people  said  he  stabled  his  mule;  intro 
duced  himself  as  "  Bennett's  mozo — me,"  and  "  sat 
into  "  the  game  then  in  progress  as  though  long  accus 
tomed;  showing  silver,  mainly  Mexican,  the  only  cre 
dentials  the  players  required.  At  sunset  he  quit,  easy 
winner,  and  went  without  taking  so  much  as  a 
"  snifter."  Once  having  found  the  way,  and  the  means, 
the  dago  came  again  and  yet  again,  neither  giving  nor 
having  trouble  until  he  ran  foul  of  Mufioz,  the  Mexican, 
whom  he  seemed  to  hate  at  sight.  Whatever  his  lingo, 
or  that  employed  by  the  polyglot  Mexican,  they  under- 


52      TONIO,  SON   OF   THE  SIERRAS 

stood  each  other,  and  the  misunderstanding  that  fol 
lowed  was  purely  personal. 

Now,  in  spite  of  his  craze  for  gambling  the  dago  had 
points  that  appealed  to  Bennett.  He  found  him  valu 
able  in  many  a  way.  He  was  almost  doglike  in  his 
devotion  to  Bennett's  wife  and  children.  He  was  a 
"  bang-up  "  cook,  barring  a  heavy  hand  at  first  with 
chile  and  onions.  He  patched  up  an  old  guitar  of  Mrs. 
Bennett's  and  strummed  delightfully  all  manner  of 
strange  Mexican  and  Mediterranean  melodies,  and,  en 
couraged  by  her,  had  even  been  betrayed  into  song.  He 
was  kind  to  the  stock,  and  the  mules  took  to  him  from 
the  very  start,  which  the  two  horses  did  not  do.  The 
dogs  tolerated  at  first  and  then  "  tied  "  to  him.  So, 
too,  the  cat  adored  him.  He  got  along  smoothly  with 
the  one  negro  and  two  Maricopa  Indian  boys  Bennett 
had  brought  with  him  from  the  Gila.  He  did  not  drink 
even  when  at  the  post,  and  in  the  course  of  six  months 
had  come  to  be  a  feature,  almost  a  fixture  of  the  ranch, 
yet  "  Dago "  was  the  only  name  by  which  he  was 
known,  even  among  his  benefactors.  Bennett  said  he 
believed  he  had  forgotten  he  ever  had  another. 

That  very  morning,  showing  all  his  white  teeth,  he 
had  whipped  off  a  battered  old  hat  of  Mexican  straw 
at  sight  of  the  general  and  his  fair  daughter,  had  taken 
the  basket  while  the  orderly  led  the  horses  to  the  corral, 
had  followed  them  about  the  little  garden  patch  while 
Mrs.  Bennett  delightedly  showed  her  lettuce  and  spin 
ach  and  the  gorgeous  bed  of  poppies.  Then  he  had 
brewed  delicious  chocolate,  though  condensed  milk  was 
poor  substitute  for  whipped  cream,  and  had  prepared 


TONIO,  SON  OF   THE   SIERRAS      53 

such  an  appetizing  little  luncheon,  and  had  made  him 
self  so  useful,  that  the  general  was  moved  to  say  to 
Bennett  that  any  time  the  dago  tired  of  his  job  he  could 
find  one  at  the  fort.  "  I  wonder  he  stays/'  said  Ben 
nett.  "  I  only  give  him  five  dollars  a  month,  even  now, 
and  he  could  get  twenty,  and  unlimited  monte,  at  the 
store ;  besides,  he  is  mortal  'fraid  of  these  'Patchie  Mo- 
haves;  hell  knows  why,  and  hides  when  he  sees  'em 
coming." 

"  Do  they  never  bother  you  stealing  or — some  way  ?  " 
asked  the  general,  with  an  anxious  glance  at  the  two 
sturdy  little  ranchers,  five  and  three-year-old  Bennetts, 
rolling  and  wrestling  in  the  sand,  showing  off  for  the 
benefit  of  the  visitors. 

"  'Patchie  Mohaves  ?  "  asked  Bennett,  looking  up  in 
surprise.  "  Never  have !  You  know  I  drove  mule 
team  to  the  agency  two  years  ago,  and  sort  of  grew  to 
them.  Why,  Minnie,  now,  thinks  as  much  of  them, 
or  most,  as  she  does  of  the  boys  at  the  post.  They're 
a  sort  of  police,  sir.  The  Tontos  don't  dare  come  down 
so  long  as  the  Mohaves  are  about  here." 

"  I  know,"  said  the  general  reflectively.  "  Yet  some 
few  bucks  drifted  off  to  the  Tontos,  and  the  agent's  been 
raising  a  row  because  so  many  of  them  roost  down  here 
instead  of  staying  on  the  reservation,  bringing  in  game. 
Did  you  know  that  two  bands  were  out — women  and  all 
— without  permits,  and  that  was  one  thing  that  brought 
Lieutenant  Harris  and  his  scouts  up  here  ?  " 

"  Well,  that  accounts  for  our  having  seen  none  of 
them  for  over  two  weeks.  They  must  have  gone  clean 
out  to  the  Mesa.  General,"  he  continued  anxiously, 


54      TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

"  they  don't  like  their  agent,  or  that  agency.  They're 
herded  in  there  with  Apache  Yumas  and  sick  Tontos 
and  Sierra  Blancas — fellows  that  get  better  treatment 
because  they're  bigger  devils  and  raise  merry  hell.  I 
know  'em  and  the  agent  don't.  I'd  move  in  to  the  post 
if  they  were  out,  but  we're  safe  with  the  Tatchie  Mo- 
haves.7' 

That  was  what  poor  Bennett  was  saying  not  twelve 
hours  earlier,  and  now  the  homelike  ranch  had  gone 
up  in  flames,  and  Bennett,  wailed  the  dago,  lay  butch 
ered  among  the  ruins.  So,  too,  the  negro.  The  Mari- 
copa  boys  had  fled  only,  probably,  to  be  run  down  and 
killed,  but  what  had  become  of  the  poor,  helpless  little 
wife  and  mother,  with  her  bonny,  blue-eyed  boys,  God 
alone  knew. 

By  this  time  half  the  enlisted  strength  of  the  post 
was  up  and  out  and  flocking  to  hear  the  tidings.  Bent- 
ley,  the  surgeon,  had  shuffled  over  in  his  slippered  feet 
and  was  giving  Dago  first  aid  ito  the  demoralized  in  the 
shape  of  aguardiente  Americano,  that  made  him  sputter 
and  sneeze,  but  speedily  braced  him.  The  adjutant  hur 
ried  over  to  call  the  commanding  officer,  passing  Harris 
on  the  way,  and  Harris,  already  in  campaign  dress,  was 
hastening  to  the  camp  of  his  scouts.  Turner,  silent  and 
sombre,  as  was  his  wont,  had  elbowed  his  way  through 
the  throng  and  stood  glowering  at  Dago  and  the  beetled- 
browed  Muiloz,  as  though  weighing  them  in  mental  bal 
ance,  and  finding  both  wanting.  Mrs.  Stannard,  through 
the  blinds,  had  hailed  the  adjutant  as  he  went  bounding 
by  to  say  the  captain  would  be  out  in  a  moment.  Al 
ready  Wettstein  had  told  them  the  fearful  news.  The 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS      55 

adjutant  stepped  inside  the  open  hallway  at  the  general's 
and  banged  on  the  swinging  door  of  the  little  front  room, 
answered  almost  instantly  by  the  subdued  and  gentle 
voice  of  Mrs.  Archer  from  the  head  of  the  stairs.  The 
general  was  sound  asleep.  Was  it  necessary  to  wake 
him  ? 

Strong  expected  as  much.  ~Not  once  a  month  did 
that  genial  veteran  permit  himself  an  over-indulgence, 
but,  when  he  did,  the  quicker  he  slept  it  off  the  better. 
He  had  taken  his  night-cap  and  turned  in  betimes,  so 
as  to  be  up  at  reveille.  But  Strong  knew  what  the  "  Old 
Man  "  would  say  to  him  later  if  he  failed  to  rouse  him 
now.  "  It's  immediate,  Mrs.  Archer,"  said  he.  "  We 
have  bad  news  from  Bennett's  Ranch." 

A  pale,  frightened,  white  little  face  had  come  peering 
over  the  motherly  shoulder  at  the  moment,  even  whiter 
in  the  flickering  light  of  Mrs.  Archer's  candle,  and  at 
sound  of  the  name  there  went  up  a  low  cry  of  distress. 

"  Oh,  Mr.  Strong,  is  it  Mrs.  Bennett — or  the  boys  ?  " 

"  We  don't — know — yet,  Miss  Archer.  The  dago's 
here,  scared  to  death ;  galloped  all  the  way  with  a  story 
of  an  Indian  raid.  I'm  hoping  it  isn't  as  bad  as  he 
thinks.  God  forgive  me  the  lie,"  he  added  under  his 
breath. 

"But  they  haven't  hurt  her?  They  surely  would 
not  hurt  her!  "  came  the  piteous  wail,  as  the  girl  clung 
to  the  rude  balustrade,  while  her  mother  hastened  to 
rouse  the  sleeping  warrior.  "  Heaven  pity  her,"  thought 
Strong,  "  unless  they  have  killed  her  outright  and  not 
carried  her  away." 

Then  came  a  step  in  the  hall  behind  him,  and  Wil- 


56      TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS 

lett  was  there,  alert  and  resourceful.  "  Pray  don't  be 
troubled  yet,  Miss  Archer/7  he  called  reassuringly,  and 
barely  noticing  Strong.  "  The  messenger's  been  stam 
peded  before  this,  the  men  tell  me.  He's  too  badly 
scared  to  know  the  truth.  It  may  be  there's  been  a 
fire.  I  think  there  has,  for  the  light  could  be  seen,  and 
so  he  imagined  Indians  and  never  stopped  to  see.  I'm 
going  right  up  there  and  will  send  back  word.  Please 
don't  worry  yet !  " 

How  thoughtful  he  was  for  her,  and  for  dear  mamma ! 
How  kind !  Strong  knew  full  well  that  the  light  they 
had  seen  was  the  glare  of  no  burning  ranch,  but  a  beacon 
far  up  in  the  hills — a  signal  fire,  of  course.  The  ranch 
lay  in  a  deep  valley  ten  miles  to  the  north-east,  with 
high  ridges  intervening.  In  the  brilliant  moonlight  a 
glare  that  might  otherwise  have  been  seen  on  the  sky 
would  pass  unnoted.  Strong  knew,  deep  down  in  his 
heart,  that  whatever  the  fate  of  the  family,  the  ranch 
was  a  thing  of  the  past,  but  Willett's  words  were  sooth 
ing.  It  was  better  to  let  them  go  unquestioned. 

Then  out  came  the  general  on  the  landing  above,  his 
towzled  gray  poll  poking  over  the  rail.  "  What  is  it, 
Strong  ?  "  I'll  be  down  quick  as  I  can  half  dress."  In 
deed,  he  was  losing  no  instant  of  time,  though  it  cost 
him  some  items  of  toilet.  With  his  feet  in  "  flip-flaps/' 
his  legs  in  loose  linen  trousers,  and  buttoning  a  sack  coat 
over  his  nightgown,  the  veteran  was  already  shuiSing 
downstairs.  "  Run  back  to  your  room,  dear,"  he  said, 
as  he  passed  his  little  girl.  "  You  shall  know  every 
thing  presently,"  and  then  in  a  moment  was  out  in 
the  free  air  of  heaven,  the  two  young  officers  with  him. 


TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS      57 

Briefly,  cautiously,  the  adjutant  murmured  the  dago's 
story,  adding  his  fear  as  to  its  truth.  Blankly  Archer 
looked  at  them  an  instant,  aghast,  appalled,  as  well  he 
might  be,  and  for  the  moment  unable  or  unwilling  to 
trust  himself  to  speak.  There  had  been  no  time,  he. 
said,  to  souse  his  head  in  the  big  basin  of  cool  water  his 
wife  would  have  given  him.  He  was  still  heated, 
flushed,  suddenly  roused  from  heavy  slumber,  and  by 
no  means  at  his  best.  Strong  knew  just  how  to  act 
in  the  premises  and  would  have  given  him  time  to  re 
cover,  but  there  was  Willett,  alert  and  insistent, — Wil- 
lett  who  represented  the  commanding  general,  and  whose 
words  carried  weight — Willett  who  was  quick  to  seize 
the  opportunity  and  to  say: 

"  This  is  just  in  line  with  what  we  thought  at  head 
quarters,  sir,  and  the  quicker  I  can  get  to  the  spot  the 
better.  With  your  consent,  general,  I'll  push  out  at 
once  with  the  scouts,  and  we'll  get  back  word  to  you 
before  daylight." 

And  even  Strong,  loyal  soul,  had  to  admit  later  that 
the  general's  answer  was  practically  "  Yes,  yes,  by  all 
means,  Willett,  and  I'll  send  a  troop  in  support,"  where 
upon  Willett  darted  'away  to  the  adjutant's  quarters  to 
doff  his  natty  uniform  and  don  something  older  and 
more  suitable.  Twenty  minutes  thereafter  he  had  swung 
a  leg  over  one  of  Stannard's  troop  horses  and  spurred 
away  down  to  the  north-eastward  slope,  toward  the  upper 
ford  of  the  stream,  where  dimly  in  the  distance  another 
horseman  could  be  seen,  with  a  dozen  shadowy,  ghost 
like  forms  gliding  along  in  tireless  jog  trot  in  line  with 
him — Harris  and  his  mountain  hounds,  the  Apache 


58      TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS 

scouts,  already  en  route  for  the  scene  of  disaster. 
Bentley,  Stannard  and  Turner,  standing  at  the  edge  of 
the  bluff,  with  fourscore  soldiers  clustered  about  them, 
while  others  had  gone  with  Dago  to  hear  again  his  tale, 
gazed  thoughtfully  after  the  disappearing  shadows  and 
then  at  each  other. 

"  Humph !  "  said  Stannard,  in  words  meant  for  his 
fellows,  but  in  tones  that  went  farther.  "  There'll  be 
conflict  of  authority  now  or  I'm  a  duffer !  " 

Ten  minutes  they  stood  and  watched;  then  came 
the  orderly  with  the  general's  compliments,  and  he'd 
be  glad  to  see  Captain  Stannard  at  once. 

"  That  means  you're  going,  Stan,"  said  the  surgeon. 
"  I  suppose  he'll  send  my  assistant  with  you." 

They  found  the  commanding  officer  on  the  porch  of 
his  quarters,  very  grave  and  quiet  now,  perfectly  calm 
and  self-possessed.  The  dago  had  squatted  at  the  edge 
of  the  steps,  his  face  bowed  in  his  hands,  shivering  as 
though  from  cold.  Munoz  slouched  near  by,  eying  him 
in  aggressive  contempt.  Several  sergeants,  with  many 
of  the  men,  were  grouped  at  respectful  distance,  eager 
and  waiting  the  word.  Strong  was  with  the  ladies,  for 
Mrs.  Stannard  had  dressed  hurriedly  and  come  over, 
and  between  them  the  two  elders  were  gently  striving 
to  console  or  encourage  Lilian,  who  had  been  quite  over 
come  by  the  particulars  as  translated  by  Munoz.  The 
dago  claimed  that  from  his  pallet,  under  the  "  linter  "  of 
the  corral,  he  had  been  roused  by  the  sudden  yell  at 
the  ranch,  followed  by  swift  shooting,  screams  and  cries 
of  Mrs.  Bennett  and  the  children,  the  outburst  of  flame, 
and  then  he  saw  them,  the  Indians,  coming  for  him, 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS      59 

and  lie  sprang  on  the  best  horse  and  lashed  him  all  the 
way  to  the  post. 

Stannard  came  at  the  moment,  solid,  stocky,  and  re 
liable — a  man  it  was  a  comfort  to  look  at  in  moments 
of  peril  or  excitement,  and  such  moments  were  fre 
quent  in  the  old  days  of  the  frontier.  Silently  he  sa 
luted,  stood  before  the  commander  and  received  his  brief 
orders — mount  the  troop,  follow  the  scouts,  and  if  it 
should  appear  that  Mrs.  Bennett  and  the  children  had 
been  carried  off  by  the  Indians,  to  pursue  and  do  his 
best  to  recapture.  Rations  would  follow  by  mule  train. 

Stannard  had  just  one  question  to  ask. 

"  Shall  I  call  on  Mr.  Harris  or  Mr.  Willett  for  scouts, 
sir  ?  "  And  even  then  it  was  noted  that  he  named  Har 
ris  first. 

"  Why — on  Mr.  Harris.    He  is  in  command.77 

"  Very  good,  sir,77  said  Stannard,  and  turned  on  his 
heel.  Mrs.  Stannard,  hastily  kissing  Lilian7  s  pale  and 
tear-wet  cheek,  started  to  follow,  but  through  the  little 
knots  of  soldiery  a  strange  figure  came  forcing  a  way, 
a  lithe  Apache  on  resentful  mule — 7Tonio,  already  back 
from  the  front,  a  little  folded  paper  in  his  hand.  Lash 
ing  the  obstinate  brute  he  bestrode,  7Tonio  dove  straight 
at  the  general,  and  all  men  waited  to  learn  the  tidings. 
Hastily  Archer  opened  the  paper,  glanced  it  over  in  the 
moonlight,  looked  up,  and  nodded  to  Stannard. 

"  Willett  says  from  round  the  point  they  can  see  two 
more  signal  fires  toward  the  north-east,  just  the  way  to 
the  Apache  Mohaves !  " 

Then  came  a  dramatic  incident.  Sitting  his  saddle 
mule  like  a  chief  of  the  Sioux,  7Tonio  straightened  to 


60      TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS 

his  full  height,  his  strong  face  gleaming  in  the  brilliant, 
silvery  sheen,  his  bare  right  arm,  with  clinching  fist  up* 
lifted,  and  in  a  voice  that  rang  out  like  a  clarion  on  the 
hushed  and  breathless  night,  shouted  his  response  for 
his  people : 

"  Apache  Mohave !     No  I     No!    No  I" 


CHAPTEE   VI. 

BARELY  a  mile  away  to  the  north-east  of  the  site  of 
old  Camp  Almy  a  ridge  of  rock  and  shale  stretches  down 
from  the  foothills  of  the  Black  Mesa  and  shuts  off  all 
view  of  the  rugged,  and  ofttimes  jagged,  landscape  be 
yond — all  save  the  peaks  and  precipitous  cliffs  of  the 
Mogollon,  and  some  of  the  pine-crested  heights  that  hem 
the  East  Fork.  Time  was,  toward  the  fag  end  of  the 
Civil  War,  when  the  volunteers  from  the  "Coast'7  kept  a 
lookout  on  the  point,  a  practice  that  yielded  more  scalps 
to  the  Indians  than  security  to  the  inmates.  The  sys 
tem,  therefore,  fell  into  disuse,  and  the  post  became  un 
popular  because  of  the  mutilated  condition  in  which 
the  pickets  were  twice  found  by  the  relief,  and  the 
amount  of  reliable  information  received  from  the  point 
never  quite  paid  for  the  cost.  With  the  disappearance 
of  the  Tontos,  who  were  not  such  fools  as  their  Spanish 
name  implied,  the  practice  of  stationing  outlying  sen 
tries  was  dropped.  The  Tontos  seemed  to  have  aban 
doned  the  valley  to  their  distant  cousins,  the  Apache- 
Mohaves,  whose  presence  there,  in  small,  itinerant  par 
ties,  was  objected  to  less  by  the  few  scattered  settlers 
than  by  the  one  badgered  agent  at  the  distant  reserva 
tion. 

This,  at  least,  was  the  case  at  first.  Bennett  and 
Sowerby,  from  above  Camp  Almy,  and  two  others  from 


62      TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS 

below,  found  them  friendly  and  peaceable.  But  pres 
ently  complaints  were  heard  from  settlers  over  at  Mc 
Dowell,  in  the  Yerde  Valley  to  the  west,  and  other 
settlers  away  up  the  Yerde  toward  Camp  Sandy.  Then 
Sowerby  swore  his  stock  was  run  off,  and  Bennett  pres 
ently  remained  the  only  ranchman  to  stand  up  for  them. 
The  agent  declared  them  contumacious  and  tricky.  Other 
whites — Arizona  white  was  then  a  reddish-brown — 
added  their  evil  word  to  the  official's.  It  was  the  old 
adage  over  again :  "  Give  a  dog  a  bad  name,"  etc.,  and 
the  department  commander  had  sent  for  scouts  to  coax 
them  in,  before  despatching  troops  to  enforce  their  com 
ing,  and  Harris  had  found  nobody — nothing  but  aban 
doned  rancherias  and  unsavory  relics. 

And  then  had  come  the  tidings  of  a  clash — the  killing 
of  Comes  Flying,  son  of  a  chief,  and  brother  to  a  tribal 
leader,  and  then  in  reprisal,  probably,  the  burning  of 
Bennett's  home  and  the  butchery  of  Bennett.  Then 
Harris  had  stayed  not  a  moment,  but,  acting  on  the 
understanding  of  the  previous  evening,  had  gone  forth 
at  once. 

It  is  well  to  be  prompt,  yet  oftentimes  wise  to  be 
prompted.  Post  commanders  like  to  be  able  to  say  in 
their  reports,  "  I  ordered  "  this,  or  "  By  my  direction  " 
that,  and  Harris  had  gone  at  the  word  of  alarm  with 
out  other  word  with  the  general. 

That  Harris  was  to  choose  his  own  time  was  the  un 
derstanding  between  them  when  they  parted,  almost 
affectingly,  at  night,  for  between  the  snake  episode  and 
the  successive  toddies  the  good  old  gentleman  was  quite 
effusive.  There  would  have  been,  probably,  no  change 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS      63 

in  the  instructions  had  Harris  started  at  reveille  or  even 
at  dawn.  But  to  "  pull  out "  at  midnight,  with  the 
situation  changed  and  without  another  word  with  the 
commander,  was  something  open  to  criticism.  More 
over,  Harris  knew  it. 

But  he  had  two  reasons,  neither  of  which  might  count 
with  a  court  of  his  peers,  but  were  of  mighty  account 
to  him.  'Tonio  had  come  to  him  actually  ablaze  with 
indignation.  'Tonio  had  said  his  people  were  accused 
when  his  people  were  innocent.  'Tonio  had  begged  that 
they  start  at  once,  and  he  would  show  it  was  not  Apache- 
Mohaves  at  fault.  He  would  show  who  were  the  real 
raiders,  and  might  even  rescue  the  prisoners.  So  Har 
ris  never  hesitated.  Leaving  a  brief  note  in  the  hands 
of  Dr.  Bentley,  he  had  ridden  away  with  'Tonio  and  a 
dozen  of  his  best,  only  to  be  overtaken  a  mile  or  so 
out  by  the  man  of  all  others  he  least  desired  to  see. 
Hal  Willett  was  the  second  reason  Harris  had  for  wish 
ing  to  get  well  away.  If  ever  there  came  opportunity 
for  a  man  to  step  in,  and  upon,  another  man's  plans 
and  purposes,  Harold  Willett  could  be  relied  upon  to 
take  it.  Harris  knew  him  of  old,  knew  instinctively 
that,  if  a  possible  thing,  his  classmate,  ever  selfish  and 
self-seeking,  would  rob  him  of  the  fruits  of  his  long 
service  with  the  scouts,  and  would  not  scruple  in  such 
an  emergency  to  take  over  the  command. 

Harris  was  right.  Just  as  the  leaders  rounded  the 
huge  shoulder  of  hillside  jutting  so  boldly  to  the  bank  of 
the  stream,  and  were  eagerly  pointing  to  the  two  distant 
flames  far  up  in  the  foothills,  Willett  came  galloping 
to  his  side.  "  Signal  fires,  of  course !  "  said  he.  "  It's 


64      TONICX  SON   OF   THE  SIERRAS 

just  as  I  said,  and  this  fellow  of  yours  denied, 
They're  making  for  the  Mesa.  Ill  send  back  word  at 
once,"  With  that  he  set  to  scrihbling  a  note  cm  *  page 
of  his  scouting  hook,  thai  again  gmBoped  f  orward,  catch 
ing  Harris  and  Tonio  riding  side  by  side. 

"  Tell  "Tonio  to  take  this  straight  to  General  Archer," 
said  he. 

Then  Harris  turned  on  him: 

"  I  don?t  recognize  your  right  to  order  my  scouts 
about,  Wfflett  I  need  Tonio  here." 

"  YonH  have  him  again  in  twenty  minutes,"  was 
the  conciliatory  answer.  "  This  is  by  Archer's  own 
order,  Harris.  I've  come  straight  from  his  side.  Other 
wise  ni  interfere  with  yon  as  little  as  possible." 

And  Harris,  with  one  look  of  distrust  in  his  com 
rade's  flushing  face,  turned  quietly  to  Tonio,  said  barely 
ten  words  to  his  second,  not  one  to  his  senior,  then. 


He  was  not  the  first  man  in  the  profession  of  arms 
to  realize  what  it  is  to  faithfully  and  persistently  labor 
to  develop,  instruct  and  discipline  a  body  of  men  until 
he  and  they  are  working  in  absolute  accord,  all  the  In 
tricate  parts  of  the  human  Tn*<4iTn<»  nicely  adjusted  and 
moving  without  the  •^•HitMd:  friction,  and  then  to  and 
himself  at  the  eleventh  hour  set  to  one  side,  a  stranger 
to  his  men  and  a  rival  to  frimaftlf  set  in  his  stead,  and 
be  bidden  to  move  on  as  a  sort  of  martial  second  fiddle, 
while  the  credit  and  reward  go  to  die  new  first  riolin. 
-as  Harris  the  last  by  any  manner  of  means.  As 
General  Archer  had  himself  been  heard  to  say, 

of  military  preferment  is  a  knowledge  of  the 


TOXIC,   SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS      65 

game  of  euchre — your  neighbor."  Couple  this  with  ut 
ter  indifference  to  the  rights  of  fellow-soldiers,  and  a 
catlike  capacity  to  work  by  stealth  in  the  dark,  and 
there  is  no  starry  altitude  to  which  one  may  not  aspire. 
Harris  made  the  same  mistake  older  soldiers  had  some 
times  made  in  higher  commands,  that  of  sticking  to  their 
own  men,  and  duties,  without  keeping  an  eve  on,  and 
a  friend  at,  headquarters.  Anomalous  as  it  may  sound, 
the  absent  are  ever  wrong,  even  when  "present  for 
duty/'  where  they  should  be.  If  Harris  that  night  had 
only  gone  to  headquarters  instead  of  his  camp;  had 
stopped  to  see  the  general  instead  of  starting  promptly 
to  the  rescue,  there  would  have  been  lees  to  tell  by  way 
of  a  stoiy. 

Possibly  a  realization  of  this  had  already  come  over 
him,  as  angering  yet  unswerving,  he  once  again  over 
took  the  eager  leaders  among  his  scouts, — lean,  wiry  fel 
lows,  ever  gliding  swiftly  on  in  that  tireless  Apache 
running  walk.  Once  there  again,  he  kept  his  broncho 
at  the  trot  to  hold  his  own,  and  a  broncho  trot,  after  a 
mile  or  two  of  warming  up,  becjpmes  something  besides 
monotonous.  Away  to  the  far  front,  the  north-east,  flick 
ered  the  tiny  blazes;  guiding  lights,  as  WiDett  would 
have  it ;  bale  fires,  as  Harris  began  to  believe — fires  set 
by  confederates  to  blind  the  eye  of  the  pursuit,  or  lure 
pursuers  to  a  trap.  Away  to  the  far  front,  seven  miles 
now,  and  deep  in  a  nook  of  the  foothills,  lay  the  site  of 
Bennett's  ruined  ranch,  and  thither,  at  top  speed  of  his 
aoonts,  was  the  young  leader  pressing.  Xot  even  a  dull 
glow  in  the  heavens  above,  or  a  spark  on  the  earth  be 
neath,  could  the  sharp-eyed  scouts  discover  to  tell  of  its 


66      TONIO,  SON   OF  THE   SIERRAS 

lonely  fate.  Only  the  dago's  horrified  words,  only  the 
confirmative  symptoms  of  these  farther  fires,  had  these 
fly-by-night  rescuers  to  warrant  their  mission.  The 
story  had  its  probable  side.  Peaceable  as  had  been  the 
Apache-Mohaves,  the  fact  that  a  clash  had  occurred 
between  them  and  some  of  the  agent's  forces, — a  clash 
in  which  Comes  Flying  had  been  killed, — might  readily 
turn  the  scale  and  send  them  on  the  warpath.  If  so, 
the  first  and  nearest  whites  were  apt  to  be  the  victims. 
If  so,  Bennett  and  his  beloved  wife  and  boys  might  well 
have  been  murdered  in  their  beds — or  spared  for  a 
harsher  fate.  In  any  event,  the  first  duty — the  obvious 
one — for  Harris  and  his  scouts  was  to  reach  the  spot 
with  all  speed;  ascertain,  if  possible,  the  fate  of  the 
ranch  folk,  then  act  as  their  discoveries  might  direct. 
All  this  Harris  was  turning  over  in  mind  as  he  hurried 
ahead.  The  road,  though  little  worn,  was  distinct,  and 
now  that  they  were  out  of  the  bottom  and  skirting  the 
stony  bed  of  a  little  mountain  stream,  quite  firm  and 
dry.  Six  miles  an  hour,  easily,  his  swarthy,  half- 
naked  fellows  were  making  without  ever  "  turning  a 
hair."  His  own  lean  broncho,  long  trained  to  such  work, 
scrambled  along  in  that  odd,  short-legged  trot,  and  Har 
ris  himself,  trained  to  perfection,  hard  and  dry,  all 
sinewy  strength,  rode  easily  along — LJ  could  have  done 
almost  as  well  afoot — at  the  head  of  his  men,  keeping 
them  to  their  pace,  yet  never  overdriving. 

But  with  Willett  the  case  was  different.  For  him 
there  had  been  no  hard  and  dry  scouting.  It  had  been 
wet  work  in  the  Columbia  country.  It  had  been  "  hunt- 
your-hole  business  "  in  the  lava  beds,  where  the  hat  that 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS      67 

showed  above  the  rocks  was  sure  to  get  punctured.  Then 
the  month  of  feasting  in  that  most  lavish  of  cities, 
"  'Frisco,  the  Golden,"  and  the  fortnight's  voyage  by 
sea,  with  further  symposiums,  and  finally  some  hours 
of  frontier  hospitality  at  Prescott  and  at  Almy,  all  had 
combined  to  spoil  his  condition,  and  before  he  had  rid 
den  forty  minutes  Hal  Willett  found  himself  blown  and 
shaken.  He  lagged  behind  to  regain  breath,  then  gal 
loped  forward  to  lose  it.  He  knew  that  Harris  had  left 
him  in  anger  and  indignation  not  unjustifiable.  He 
knew  he  had  not  full  warrant  for  his  authority.  He 
knew  Harris  was  entitled  to  unhampered  command,  and 
that  he  had  hampered.  Yet,  now,  believing  that  Harris 
was  pushing  swiftly  ahead  as  much  to  "  shake  "  him  as 
to  reach  the  scene,  he  again  dug  spurs  to  his  laboring 
troop  horse,  and  came  sputtering  over  the  loose  stones 
to  the  young  leader's  side. 

"  Harris,"  he  puffed,  "  this  is  no  way  to  work  your 
men.  They'll  be  blown  when  you  get  there,  and  of  no 
earthly  use." 

"  You  don't  know  them,"  answered  Harris,  with  ex 
asperating  calm,  and  without  so  much  as  a  symptom 
of  slowing  up. 

"  But — I  know  how  it  affects — me, — and  I'm  no 
novice  at  scouting." 

"  You  are  to — this  sort  of  thing,  anyhow,"  was  the 
uncompromising  answer,  and  then  with  a  cool,  compre 
hensive  glance  that  seemed  to  take  in  the  entire  man, 
he  added,  "  You're  out  of  training,  Willett — the  one 
thing  a  man  has  to  watch  out  for  in  Apache  work.  Bet- 


68      TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

ter  let  me  leave  a  couple  of  men  with  you,  and  come 
on  easily.  You  won't  be  very  far  behind  us.7' 

And  then,  as  bad  luck  would  have  it,  'Tonio  came 
cantering  up  from  the  rear,  his  big,  lop-eared  mule  pro 
testing  to  the  last,  and  'Tonio  bore  a  little  folded  paper. 

He  was  not  versed  in  cavalry  etiquette,  this  chief 
tain  of  the  frontier,  nor  had  he  learned  to  read  writing 
as  he  did  men.  The  two  officers  at  the  moment  were 
side  by  side,  Willett  on  the  right,  his  charger  plunging 
and  sweating  with  back  set  ears  and  distended  nos 
trils;  Harris  on  the  left,  his  broncho  jogging  steadily, 
sturdily  on,  showing  no  symptom  of  weariness.  "  To 
Gran  Capitan — Willett "  were  the  general's  words,  it 
seems,  when  he  sent  'Tonio  on  his  way  with  the  note, 
but  in  'Tonio's  eyes  Harris  was  "  Gran  Capitan,"  even 
though  hailed  at  times  as  "  Capitan  Cliiquiio,"  and  to 
Harris's  left  'Tonio  urged  his  mount  and  silently  held 
forth  the  missive. 

There  was  never  any  question  thereafter  that  it  was 
meant  for  the  other.  Archer  had  his  reasons.  Willett 
was  there  as  the  aid,  the  representative,  of  the  depart 
ment  commander,  charged  with  an  important  duty. 
Willett  had  come  to  him,  volunteered  to  go  with  the 
scouts,  and  he  had  bidden  him  God  speed.  Willett 
was  the  senior  in  rank  as  first  lieutenant,  promotions 
in  the  "  Lost  and  Strayed  "  having  been  livelier  than 
in  the  "  Light  Dragoons."  Moreover,  Willett  had  shown 
proper  deference  to  him,  the  post  commander,  whereas, 
Harris,  said  he,  in  his  first  impulsive,  self-excusing 
mood,  even  though  warranted  in  going,  had  gone  with 
out  a  word.  Sensitive  and  proud,  the  veteran  of  many 


TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS      69 

fights  and  many  sorrows,  ruefully  bethinking  himself 
of  Harris's  abstinence  and  his  own  conviviality,  saw 
fit  to  imagine  Harris  guilty  of  an  intentional  slight. 

Like  noble  old  Newcombe,  the  gentlest  and  humblest- 
minded  of  men,  "  he  was  furious  if  anybody  took  a 
liberty  with  him,"  and  in  his  sudden  rousing  and  wrath 
this  was  what  he  thought  Harris  had  done.  It  was 
to  humble  him  rather  than  to  exalt  Willett  that  he 
ignored  the  one  and  hailed  the  other.  "  To  Gran  Capi- 
tan  Willett,"  he  said,  and  'Tonio  handed  the  missive 
to  the  one  "  gran  capitan  "  he  knew  and  served  and 
loved. 

And  Harris,  never  noting  the  pencil  scrawl  upon  the 
back,  proceeded  to  tear  it  open,  when  Willett  stretched 
forth  his  hand: 

"  I  think  you  will  find  that  is  for  me,  Harris — an 
answer  to  what  I  wrote,"  and  his  words  had  the  dis 
tinct  ring  of  authority.  Harris  flushed,  even  in  the 
moonlight;  turned  it  over,  read  the  unsteady  charac 
ters,  "  Lieutenant  Willett,  A.  D.  C.,"  surrendered  it 
without  a  word,  and  a  second  time  drove  ahead,  while 
Willett  reined  up  to  read. 

It  was  ten  minutes  before  Willett  again  overtook  the 
pale-faced  young  officer  at  the  front.  Harris's  mouth 
looked  like  a  rigid  gash,  and  his  battered  felt  was  pulled 
down  over  a  deep-lined  forehead,  as  with  stern  eyes  he 
turned  his  head,  but  never  his  shoulder,  in  answer  to 
his  classmate's  imperative  call. 

"Kem  in  now,  and  listen  to  this.  Harris.  If  you 
must  have  it,  it's — by  order." 


70      TONIO,  SON   OF  THE   SIERRAS 

And  Harris  slowly  chocked  his  horse;  silently  in 
clined  an  ear. 

"  Lieutenant  Willett,  it  says,"  began  the  senior,  with 
the  sweat  rolling  into  his  eyes,  "  Your  despatch  re 
ceived.  The  fires  you  mention  indicate  further  hostile 
parties,  'Tonio  insists  not  Mohaves.  If  not,  must  be 
Tontos.  Therefore,  move  with  caution.  Stannard  just 
saddling.  Use  your  discretion  as  to  waiting  for  him. 
"  ARCHEE,  Commanding  Post." 

Then  Willett  turned.  He  had  begun  to  refold,  but 
ceased,  and  held  it  forth.  "  Eead  it  yourself,  if  you 
like."  Harris's  gauntlet  came  up  in  protest.  He  bit 
his  lip  hard,  but  said  no  word.  The  scouts  were  but 
white  specks  in  the  distance  now.  There  was  sudden 
cry,  low,  like  that  of  the  night-bird,  and  'Tonio  dug 
his  moccasined  heels  in  his  lop-eared  charger's  ribs 
and  drove  out  to  the  front,  then  turned  in  saddle,  looked 
back  at  his  chief  and  pointed.  Both  officers  instantly 
followed. 

The  trail  led  over  a  low  spur,  and  the  scouts  had 
halted  and  were  squatting  at  the  crest.  Straightway  be 
fore  them,  possibly  four  miles,  a  dull  red  glow  lay  in 
the  midst  of  the  moonlight,  with  occasional  tongues  of 
lurid  flame  lazily  lapping  at  some  smouldering  upright. 
The  fire  had  spent  its  force ;  gorged  itself  on  its  prey 
and  was  sinking  to  sleep. 

"  Come  on  then !"  said  Harris,  speaking  for  the  first 
time  impetuously.  "  If  you  can't  stand  the  pace  let  us 
shove  ahead!" 

"  And  run  slap  into  ambush  3     No.     M^;  orders  are 


TONIO,  SON   OF  THE  SIERRAS      71 

to  move  with  caution.    We've  got  to  feel  our  way  now. 
Hold  your  hand,  Harris — and  your  men." 

Barely  fifty  minutes  had  they  been  in  coming  these 
six  miles  from  Almy.  Barely  fifty  minutes  thereafter, 
and  with  less  than  three  miles  more  to  their  credit, 
halted  for  cautious  reconnaissance,  with  the  ruined 
ranch  still  a  long  mile  away,  there  came  sound  of  feeble 
hail  from  a  patch  of  willows  down  by  the  brookside, 
and  presently,  in  fearful  plight,  they  dragged  forth 
Bennett's  colored  man-of-all-work,  unharmed,  but  half 
dead  with  terror.  Yes,  Indians  had  suddenly  come 
in  the  early  evening.  Eirst  warning  was  from  the 
Maricopa  boy  who  came  running  from  the  spring,  say 
ing  they  had  killed  his  brother.  Bennett  grabbed  his 
gun  and  ran  out  to  see,  telling  him,  Eusty,  to  take 
a  rifle  and  hurry  with  Mrs.  Bennett  and  the  children 
and  hide  in  the  willows  down  the  creek.  They  heard 
firing  and  yelling,  and  'twas  all  Rusty  could  do,  he 
said,  to  keep  Mrs.  Bennett  from  running  back  to  her 
husband,  and  the  children  from  screaming  aloud,  but 
he  made  them  go  with  him  still  farther  down  the  val 
ley,  down  to  that  patch  yonder,  and  there  they  lay  in 
hiding  while  the  Indians  burned  the  ranch,  and  seemed 
hunting  everywhere  for  them,  and  at  last  things  quieted 
down,  but  Mrs.  Bennett  was  wild  and  crazy  and  crying 
to  go  back  and  find  her  husband,  dead  or  alive,  and  he 
had  to  hold  her.  Just  a  few  minutes  ago,  not  fifteen 
minutes  before,  she  broke  away,  and  he  found  it  was 
no  use  trying.  She  started  to  run  back,  telling  him  to 
save  her  boys.  She  kissed  them  both  and  went,  and  it 
wasn't  five  minutes  after  that  before  he  heard  her 


72      TONIO,  SON   OF  THE   SIERRAS 

scream  awfully,  and  the  boys  began  to  cry  again,  and 
then — then  he  saw  two  Indians  coming  running,  and 
he  knew  they'd  got  her  and  were  coming  for  the 
children,  so  what  could  he  do  but  run  and  save  himself  ? 

"  Lead  on  where  you  left  them !  "  ordered  Harris 
instantly,  never  waiting  for  Willett  to  speak.  Ten 
minutes  brought  them  to  the  farther  shelter,  a  dense 
little  willow  copse,  empty  and  deserted.  "  Come  on 
to  the  ranch,"  was  the  next  order,  but  there  Willett 
interposed. 

"  Carefully  now.  Let  your  scouts  open  out  and  feel 
the  way/'  he  ordered,  and  Harris  would  not  hear.  Har 
ris  had  thrown  himself  from  his  horse  to  lead  the  search. 
He  never  stopped  to  remount.  He  ran  like  a  deer  up 
the  stony  creek  bed  until  he  regained  the  road,  his 
scouts  following  pell-mell,  and  in  ten  minutes  more 
they  found  him  bending  over  the  lifeless  body  of  brave, 
sturdy  Jack  Bennett,  weltering  in  his  blood  at  the  side 
of  the  spring  house,  and  with  no  sign  of  the  hapless, 
helpless  wife  and  mother  anywhere. 

"  By  God,  Hal  Willett !"  cried  Harris,  as  he  sprang 
to  his  feet,  all  dignity  and  deliberation  thrown  to  the 
winds.  '  You  may  '  proceed  with  caution '  all  you 
damned  please.  'Tonio  and  I  go  after  that  poor  woman 
and  her  children.  We'd  have  saved  them  here  if  it 
hadn't  been  for  you !" 


CHAPTER   VII. 

THE  dawn  was  breaking  in  sickly  pallor  over  the 
jagged  scarp  of  the  Mesa,  bounding  the  chaotic  laby 
rinth  of  bowlders,  crag  and  canon  beneath.  Far  up  the 
rugged  valley,  jutting  from  the  faded  fringe  of  pine, 
juniper  and  scrub  oak  that  bearded  the  Mogollon,  a 
solitary  butte  stood  like  sentry  against  the  cloudless  sky, 
its  lofty  crown  of  rock  just  faintly  signalling  the  still 
distant  coming  of  the  heralds  of  the  god  of  day.  Here 
in  the  gloomy  depths  of  the  basin,  and  at  the  banks  of 
the  murmuring  stream,  all  was  still  silence  and  despond. 
The  smouldering  ruins  of  Bennett's  cosey  home  lay 
a  mass  of  dull  red  coal,  with  smoke  wreaths  sailing 
idly  aloft  from  charred  beam  or  roof -tree.  The  mangled 
body  of  the  stout  frontiersman  had  been  gathered  into 
a  trooper's  blanket  and  lay  there  near  the  pathetic  ruin 
of  the  house  he  had  so  hopefully  builded,  so  bravely 
defended,  for  the  wife  and  little  ones.  Half  a  dozen 
Indian  scouts,  silent  and  dejected,  were  squatting  inert 
about  the  little  garden,  irrigated  from  the  main  acequia, 
where  the  heavy-headed  poppies,  many  of  them,  were 
still  nodding  on  their  stalks,  while  others  lay  crushed 
and  trampled.  A  little  distance  away  down  the  stream 
a  little  troop  of  cavalry,  in  most  business-like  uniform, 
had  dismounted  and  was  watering  some  fifty  thirsty 
horses,  while  its  stocky  commander,  his  hands  thrust 


74      TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS 

deep  in  the  pockets  of  his  riding  breeches,  his  sloucn 
hat  pulled  down  to  his  brows,  his  booted  foot  kicking 
viciously  at  a  clump  of  cactus,  was  listening  impatiently 
to  the  words  of  the  young  aide-de-camp,  who  seemed  far 
less  at  ease  than  when  he  trod  the  boards  of  the  general's 
quarters  some  six  hours  earlier  in  the  night. 

"  Do  I  understand  you  then,"  and  Stannard  spoke 
with  a  certain  asperity,  "  that  Mr.  Harris,  with  just 
two  or  three  scouts,  has  gone  out  hunting  on  his  own 
hook  ? — that  even  'Tonio  isn't  with  him  ?" 

"  He  claimed  the  right  to  go,  and  I  told  him  to  take 
half  a  dozen — half  a  score  of  the  scouts,  if  need  be,  and 
leave  the  other  half  with  me,  only  I  drew  the  line  at 
'Tonio.  I  needed  him  here.  He  is  the  only  Indian  in 
the  lot  who  understands  enough  English  to  catch  my 
meaning  and  to  translate.  I  could  let  Harris  go,  or 
'Tonio,  separately,  but  not  both  together.  That  left  me 
powerless.  Oh,  yes,  he  objected.  He  said  'Tonio  had 
always  been  his  right  bower — always  had  worked  with 
him  and  for  him.  But  'Tonio,  not  Harris,  is  the  chief 
of  scouts,  the  man  they  look  to  and  obey.  Now  he  and 
most  of  his  followers  are  here  to  do  your  bidding.  If 
Harris  had  been  allowed  his  way,  I'd  have  been  prob 
ably  alone." 

Stannard  sniffed.  "  Which  way'd  he  go  ?"  he  bluntly 
asked. 

"  I'm  not  sure.  We  were  going  to  trail  the  moment 
it  was  light  enough  to  see.  One  thing  is  certain,  they 
did  not  start  in  the  direction  of  the  signals,  though 
they  may  have  veered  off  that  way.  'Tonio  is  the  only 
one  who  claims  to  know,  anything.  'Tonio  savjs ( Apache 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS      ?5 

Tonto'  was  the  murderer,  not  Apache-Mohave,  and 
'Tonio's  in  the  sulks.  Look  at  him!" 

Stannard  glanced  an  instant  toward  the  gaunt  figure 
of  the  Apache,  standing  dejectedly  apart  from  all  others 
and  gazing  fixedly  toward  the  dawn.  The  light  was 
stronger  now.  The  red  was  in  the  orient  sky.  The 
distant  butte  was  all  aglow  with  the  radiance  of  the 
rising  yet  invisible  sun.  Stannard  seemed  more  con 
cerned  in  the  whereabouts  of  Mr.  Harris  than  in  the 
worries  of  Mr.  Willett.  Again  he  returned  to  his  ques 
tions. 

"  Well,  did  Harris  give  any  inkling  of  his  purpose — 
whether  he  meant  to  follow  the  trail  till  he  found  cap 
tives  and  captors,  or  only  till  he  found  where  it  prob 
ably  led  to  ?  I've  got  to  act,  and  lose  no  time.  Ser 
geant,  tell  the  men  to  hurry  with  their  coffee,"  he 
called,  to  the  brown-eyed,  dark-featured  soldier  who 
was  coming  forward  at  the  moment.  A  salute  was  the 
only  answer,  as  the  sergeant  turned  about  in  his  tracks 
and  signalled  to  the  boy  trumpeter,  holding  his  own 
and  the  captain's  horse.  Another  moment  and  Stannard 
was  in  saddle. 

"  Harris  didn't  say,"  was  the  guarded  answer.  "  You 
know,  I  suppose,  that  he  left  the  post  without  consulting 
the  general,  and  he  took  it  much  amiss  that,  in  com 
pliance  with  the  general's  orders,  I  exercised  certain 
authority  after  reaching  him.  ISTow  you  are  here  to 
take  entire  charge,  I  turn  over  the  whole  business  to 
you.  There's  what's  left  of  the  scouts;  there's  what's 
left  of  the  ranch;  and  there,"  with  a  glance  at  the 


76      TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

blanket-shrouded  form,  "  is  what's  left  of  the  Bennetts. 
I'll  jog  back  to  the  post  by  and  by." 

"  Oh,  then  you're  not  going  on  with  us  ?  "  said  Stan- 
nard,  relieved  in  mind,  he  hardly  knew  why. 

"  No,  sir,  I  only  rode  out  here  to  investigate  and  re 
port.  We,  of  course,  hoped  to  save  something." 

"  Pity  you  hadn't  spared  yourself  and  not  spoiled  the 
pie,"  thought  Stannard  as  he  looked  'about  him  over  the 
scene  of  desolation.  The  men  were  snapping  their  tin 
mugs  and  the  refilled  canteens  to  the  saddle  rings.  The 
captain  rode  over  to  'Tonio,  a  kindly  light  in  his  blue- 
gray  eyes.  He  whipped  off  the  right  gauntlet  and  held 
forth  his  hand. 

"  ~No  Apache-Mohave !  "  said  he  stoutly.  "  Apache 
Tonto.  Si !  Now  catch  'em  Teniente  Harris."  Poor  lingo 
that  "  pidgin  "  Indian  of  the  desert  and  the  long  ago, 
but  it  served  its  purpose.  'Tonio  grasped  the  proffered 
hand,  a  grateful  gleam  in  his  black  eyes ;  warned  with 
the  other  hand  the  captain's  charger  from  certain  tracks 
he  had  been  jealously  guarding;  then  pointed  eagerly, 
here,  there,  in  half  a  dozen  places,  where  footprints 
were  still  unmarred  in  the  powdery  dust.  "  Si — si — 
Apache  Tonto!"  and  the  long,  skinny  finger  darted, 
close  to  the  ground,  from  one  print  to  the  other.  "  No 
Apache-Mohave !  No !  " 

"  Then  come !  Mount !  "  called  Stannard.  "  Leave 
a  corporal  and  four  men  here  as  guard  until  the  ambu 
lance  gets  out  from  the  post,"  he  added,  to  the  first 
sergeant.  "  Mount  the  troop,  soon's  you're  ready.  I'm 
going  ahead  with  'Tonio  and  the  scouts.  Ugashi, 
'Tonio !  Good-by,  Mr.  Willett.  Take  one  of  the  men, 


TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS      77 

if  you  need  an  orderly/'  he  shouted  back,  over  a  flannel- 
shirted  shoulder,  innocent  of  badge  or  strap  of  any  kind. 
In  point  of  dress  or  equipment  there  was  absolutely 
no  difference  between  the  captain  of  cavalry  and  his 
fifty  men. 

A  moment  later,  spreading  out  over  the  low  ground 
like  so  many  hounds  throwing  off  for  a  scent,  'Tonio 
and  his  scouts  were  trotting  away  toward  a  dip  in  the 
rugged  heights  to  the  north-east,  for  thither,  the  moment 
it  was  light  enough  even  faintly  to  see,  the  keen  eyes 
of  the  Apaches  had  trailed  the  fugitives,  and  now  with 
bounding  feet  they  followed  the  sign,  Tonio  foremost, 
his  mount  discarded.  Afoot,  like  his  fellows,  and  bend 
ing  low,  pointing  every  now  and  then  to  half  turned 
pebble,  to  broken  twig  or  bruised  weed,  he  drove  ever 
eagerly  forward,  the  stolid  bearing  of  the  Indian  giving 
way  with  each  successive  minute  to  unusual,  though 
repressed  excitement.  Thrice  he  signalled  to  Stannard 
and  pointed  to  the  crushed  and  beaten  sand — to  toe 
or  heel  or  sole  marks  to  which  the  Caucasian  would 
:have  attached  but  faint  importance  had  not  the 
aborigine  proclaimed  rejoicefully  "  Apache-Mohave !  " 
whereat  Stannard  shook  his  head  and  set  his  teeth  and 
felt  his  choler  rising. 

"  Thought  you  swore  Apache  Tonto  awhile  ago," 
said  Stannard  wrathfully.  "  Now  you're  saying 
Apache  Mohave!" 

"  Si !  Si !  Apache  Tonto— kill— shoot.  Apache-Mo- 
'have  good  Indian.  Look,  see,  carry  "  and  with  hands 
and  arms  in  eager  gesture  he  strove  to  illustrate. 

Could  he  mean  that  they  who  killed  Bennett  were 


78      TONIO,  SON   OF   THE  SIERRAS 

hostile  Tontos,  and  that  these  who  bore  the  poor 
widowed  creature  were  of  the  Mohave  blood?  If  so, 
why  should  'Tonio  seem  really  to  rejoice  ?  Had  he  not 
strenuously  denied  that  his  people  took  any  part  in  the 
outrage  ?  Was  he  not  now  insisting  that  they  were  ac 
tive  in  bearing  her  away — probably  to  captivity  and  a 
fate  too  horrible?  Stannard,  riding  close  at  his  heels, 
his  men  still  following  in  loose  skirmish  order  until  they 
should  reach  the  ravine,  studied  him  with  varying  emo 
tion.  Harris  had  certainly  betrayed  a  fear  that  'Tonio 
was  but  half-hearted  in  the  matter  of  scouting  after 
Apache-Mohaves.  Now  the  suspected  scout  was  trailing 
for  all  he  was  worth,  with  the  pertinacity  of  the  blood 
hound. 

Broad  daylight  again,  and  the  sun  peering  down  from 
the  crest  of  the  great  Mesa,  and  the  morning  growing 
hot,  and  some  new  hands  already  pulling  eagerly  at  the 
canteens,  despite  their  older  comrades7  warning.  And 
still  the  advance  went  relentlessly  on.  They  were  climb 
ing  a  rugged,  stony  ravine  now,  with  bare  shoulders  of 
bluff  overhanging  in  places,  and  presently,  from  a  pro 
jecting  ledge,  Stannard  was  able  to  look  back  over  the 
rude  landscape  of  the  lowlands.  There  to  the  west, 
stretching  north  and  south,  was  the  long,  pine-crested 
bulwark  of  the  Mazatzal,  the  deep,  ragged  rift  of  Dead 
Man's  Canon  toward  the  upper  end.  Winding  away 
southward,  in  the  midst  of  the  broad  valley,  the  stream 
shone  like  burnished  silver  in  the  shallow  reaches,  or 
sparkled  over  rocky  beds.  Far  to  the  south-west,  the 
dull,  dun-colored  roofs  and  walls  of  the  post  could 
barely  be  discerned,  even  with  the  powerful  binocular, 


TONIO,  SON   OF  THE  SIERRAS      79 

against  the  brown  barren  of  the  low  "  bench  "  whereon 
it  lay.  Only  the  white  lance  of  the  flagstaff,  and  the 
glint  of  tin  about  the  chimneys,  betrayed  its  position. 
From  north  to  far  south-east  ran  the  palisade-like  crest 
of  the  Black  Mesa,  while  the  Sierra  Ancha  bound  the 
basin  firmly  at  the  southward  side.  Deep  in  the  ra 
vines  of  the  foothills,  where  little  torrents  frothed  and 
tumbled  in  the  spring  tide,  scant,  thread-like  rivulets 
came  trickling  now  to  join  the  gentle  flood  of  the  lower 
Tonto  and  the  East  Fork  of  the  Verde,  and,  at  one  or 
two  points  along  the  Mesa,  signal  smokes  were  still  puff 
ing  into  the  breathless  air.  Below  them,  possibly  six 
miles  away,  yet  looking  almost  within  long  rifle-shot, 
the  square  outline  of  the  abandoned  corral,  the  blackened 
ruin  of  the  ranch,  with  the  adjacent  patches,  irrigated, 
tilled,  carefully  tended — all  Bennett's  hard  and  hopeful 
toil  gone  for  nothing — told  their  incontrovertible  tale 
of  savage  hate  and  treachery.  It  was  a  sorry  ending 
this,  a  wretched  reward  for  the  years  of  saving,  self- 
denial  and  steadfast  labor  of  him  who  had  lived  so  long 
at  amity  among  these  children  of  the  mountain  and 
desert,  giving  them  often  of  his  food  and  raiment,  asking 
only  the  right  to  build  up  a  little  lodge  in  this  waste 
land  of  the  world,  where  he  need  owe  no  man  anything, 
yet  have  home  and  comfort  and  competence  for  those 
he  loved,  and  a  welcome  for  the  wayfarer  who  should 
seek  shelter  at  his  door.  It  was  the  old,  old  story  of 
many  a  pioneer  and  settler,  worn  so  threadbare  at  the 
campfires  of  the  cavalry  that  rough  troopers  wondered 
why  it  was  that  white  men  dared  so  much  to  win  so 
little.  Yet,  through  just  such  hardships,  loneliness  and 


80      TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

peril  our  West  was  won,  and  they  who  own  it  now  have 
little  thought  for  those  who  gave  it  them. 

Stannard  sighed  as  he  closed  his  signal  glass  and 
turned  again  to  the  duty  in  hand.  "  What's  the 
trouble  ? "  he  bluntly  asked  his  faithful  sergeant ;  lieu 
tenants  at  the  moment  he  had  none. 

"  Check,  sir.  All  rock  and  half  a  dozen  gullies. 
Scouts  are  trying  three  of  them.  Don't  seem  to  know 
which  way  they  went  from  here.  Even  a  mule  shoe 
makes  no  print." 

The  troop,  following  its  leader's  example,  without 
sound  or  signal  had  dismounted,  and  stood  in  long  col 
umn  of  files  adown  the  ravine.  'Tonio  and  his  fellow- 
scouts  had  disappeared  somewhere  in  the  stony  labyrinth 
ahead.  Up  this  way,  before  the  dawn,  the  dusky  band 
must  have  led  or  driven  their  captives,  two  of  Bennett's 
mules  having  been  pressed  into  service.  Up  this  way, 
not  an  hour  behind  them,  must  have  followed  Harris 
and  his  handful  of  allies,  four  Indians  in  all.  Up  this 
way,  swift  and  unerring  thus  far,  'Tonio,  backed  by  half 
a  dozen  half-naked  young  braves,  had  guided  the  cav 
alry,  and  never  before,  so  said  old  Farrier  Haney,  who 
had  'listed  in  the  troop  at  Prescott,  and  had  served  here 
with  the  previous  regiment  in  '69 — never  before  had 
he  known  'Tonio  so  excited,  so  vehement.  Beyond  all 
question,  'Tonio's  heart  was  in  the  chase  to-day. 

But  this  delay  was  most  vexatious.  Every  moment 
lost  to  the  pursuit  was  more  than  a  minute  gained  by 
the  pursued.  Lighter  by  far  and  trained  to  mountain 
climbing,  the  Apache  covers  ground  with  agility  almost 
goatlike.  It  was  long  after  seven,  said  Stannard's 


Scrambling  down  the  adjacent  slope  every  man  for  himself. 

Page  8  i 


TONIO,  SON   OF  THE   SIERRAS      81 

watch,  and  not  a  glimpse  had  they  caught  of  Indian 
other  than  their  own.  It  was  just  half  past  the  hour, 
and  Stannard  with  an  impatient  snap  of  the  watch-case 
was  about  thrusting  it  back  in  his  pocket,  when,  far 
to  the  front,  reechoing,  resounding  among  the  rocks,  two 
shots  sounded  in  quick  succession,  followed  in  sudden 
sputter  by  half  a  dozen  more.  "  Turn  your  horses  over 
to  Number  Four,  men !  "  shouted  Stannard.  "  Ser 
geant  Schreiber,  remain  in  charge.  The  rest  of  you 
come  on." 

Scrambling  up  a  rocky  hillside,  he  led  on  to  the 
divide  before  him — the  crest  between  two  steep  ravines 
— his  men  coming  pell-mell  and  panting  after,  every 
now  and  then  dislodging  a  stone  and  sending  it  clatter 
ing  to  the  depths  below.  Two  hundred  yards  ahead,  at 
a  sharp,  angular  point,  one  of  the  Yuma  scouts  stood 
frantically  waving  his  hand,  and  thither  Stannard 
turned  his  ponderous  way.  No  lightweight  he,  and  the 
pace  and  climb  began  to  tell.  Eager  young  soldiers 
were  at  his  heels,  but  grim  old  Stauffer,  the  first  ser 
geant,  growled  his  orders  not  to  crowd;  hearing  which 
their  captain  half  turned  with  something  like  a  grin: 
"  Tumble  ahead  if  you  want  to,"  was  all  he  said,  and 
tumble  they  did,  for  the  firing  was  sharp  and  fierce  and 
close  at  hand,  augmented  on  a  sudden  as  'Tonio's  little 
party  reached  the  scene  and  swelled  the  clamor  with 
their  Springfields.  Another  moment  and,  springing 
from  rock  to  rock,  spreading  out  to  the  right  and  left 
as  they  came  in  view  of  a  little  fastness  along  the  face 
of  a  cliff,  the  troopers  went  scrambling  down  the  ad 
jacent  slope  and,  every  man  for  himself ;  opened  on  what 


82      TONIO,  SON  OF  THE   SIERRAS 

could  be  seen  of  the  foe.  Some  men,  possibly,  never 
knew  what  they  were  firing  at,  but  the  big-barrelled 
Sharp's  carbine  made  a  glorious  chorus  to  the  sputter 
ing  fire  of  the  scouts.  Eive  hundred  yards  away,  bend 
ing  double,  dodging  from  bowlder  to  bowlder,  several 
swarthy  Indians  could  be  seen  in  full  flight,  apparently. 
Then  old  'Tonio  threw  up  a  hand  from  across  the  stony 
chasm,  signalled  to  his  friends  to  cease,  sprang  over  a 
low  barrier  of  rock,  disappeared  one  moment  from  view, 
then  a  few  yards  farther  signalled  "  Come  on."  And 
on  they  went  and  came  presently  upon  an  excited,  jab 
bering  group  at  a  little  cleft  in  the  hillside.  A  mule 
lay  kicking  in  death  agony  down  the  slope.  Another 
lay  dead  among  the  bowlders.  An  Apache  warrior, 
face  downward  in  a  pool  of  blood,  was  sprawled  in  front 
of  the  cleft,  and  presently,  from  the  cavelike  entrance, 
came  Lieutenant  Harris  and  'Tonio,  bearing  between 
them  the  form  of  an  unconscious  woman,  and  Stan- 
nard,  as  he  came  panting  to  the  spot,  ordering  every-, 
body  to  fall  back  and  give  her  air,  and  somebody  to 
bring  a  canteen,  slapped  Harris  a  hearty  whack  on  the 
shoulder,  whereat  that  silent  young  officer  suddenly 
wilted  and  dropped  like  a  log,  and  not  until  then  was 
it  seen  he  was  shot — that  his  sleeve  and  shirt  were  drip 
ping  with  blood. 

And  just  about  that  hour,  less  than  thirty  miles  away, 
based  on  Lieutenant  Willett's  verbal  report,  the  com 
manding  officer  of  Camp  Almy  was  writing  a  despatch 
to  go  by  swift  courier  to  department  head-quarters — a 
report  which  closed  with  these  words: 
"The  presence  at  this  juncture  of  Lieutenant  Willett,  aide-de- 


TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS      83 

icamp  to  the  department  commander,  was  of  great  value  and  impor 
tance,  and  I  trust  that  his  decision  to  remain  may  meet  approval.  On 
the  other  hand,  it  is  with  regret  that  I  am  constrained  to  express  my 
disapproval  of  the  action  of  Lieutenant  Harris,  commanding  scouts, 
who  left  the  post  with  his  men  immediately  after  the  alarm  and  with 
out  conference  with  me  ;  was  only  overtaken  by  Lieutenant  Willett 
after  going  several  miles,  and,  when  informed  of  my  instructions, 
practically  refused  to  be  guided  by  them.  Persuading  a  few  of  the 
scouts  to  follow  him,  he  left  the  detachment,  in  spite  of  Lieutenant 
Willett's  remonstrance,  and  started  in  pursuit  of  the  marauders.  As 
these  must  largely  outnumber  him,  it  is  not  only  impossible  that  he 
should  rescue  the  captives,  but  more  than  probable  he  has  paid  for 
his  rashness  with  his  life." 


CHAPTEE   VIII. 

"  THE  Gray  Fox  "  had  but  just  received  his  promo 
tion  to  the  star,  jumping  every  colonel  in  the  army.  He 
had  been  doing  mighty  work  among  the  recalcitrant 
Apaches  at  a  time  when  other  commanders  were  having 
hard  luck  in  their  respective  fields — one,  indeed,  for 
feiting  his  own  honored  and  valued  life  through  heed 
ing  the  sophistries  of  the  Peace  Commissioners  rather 
than  the  appeals  of  officers  and  men  who  long  had 
known  the  Modocs.  For  long  years  the  warriors  of  the 
Arizona  deserts  and  mountains  had  bidden  defiance 
to  the  methods  of  department  commanders  who  fought 
them  from  their  desks  at  Drum  Barracks,  or  the  Occi 
dental,  but  George  Crook  came  from  years  of  successful 
campaigning  after  other  tribes,  and  in  person  led  his 
troopers  to  the  scene  of  action.  One  after  another  the 
heads  of  noted  chiefs  were  bowed,  or  laid,  at  his  feet. 
The  pioneers,  the  settlers,  the  ranchmen  and  miners  took 
heart  and  hope  again,  and  the  marauders  to  the  moun 
tains.  Then  came  "  our  friends  the  enemy/'  from  the 
far  East,  with  petition  and  prayer.  Suspension  of  hos 
tilities,  on  part  of  the  troops  at  least,  was  ordered,  while 
most  excellently  pious  emissaries  arrived  inviting  the 
warriors  to  come  in,  to  be  reasoned  with,  taught  the  error 
of  their  ways  and  persuaded  to  promise  to  be  good.  The 
astute  Apache  had  no  objection  to  such  proceedings.  He 


TONIC,  SON  OF   THE   SIERRAS      85 

was  certainly  willing  to  have  the  soldier  quit  fighting, 
just  as  willing  to  come  and  hear  exhortation  and  prayer, 
when  coupled  with  presents  and  plenty  to  eat;  most 
Indians  would  be.  So  the  new  general  stepped  aside, 
as  ordered,  and  left  the  elders  a  fair  field.  "  The  Gray 
Fox  "  went  hunting  bear  and  deer,  and  while  the  Apache 
chieftains  went  down  to  the  Gila  to  reap  what  they  could 
from  the  lavish  hands  of  the  good  and  the  gentle,  their 
young  men  swooped  on  the  stage  roads  and  scattered 
ranches,  and  made  hay  after  their  own  fashion  while 
shone  the  sun  of  peace  and  promise.  So  happened  it 
along  the  Verde  and  Salado  that  the  Apache  came  down 
like  the  wolf  on  the  fold,  and  so  Harris  had  come  up 
from  the  Southern  Sierra,  and  'Tonio  had  sworn  that, 
all  signs  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding,  his  people 
were  not,  as  the  agent  declared,  the  pillagers  and  pirates. 
"  Apache-Mohave  ?  No!  No!!" 

"  The  Or  ray  Fox  "  had  ventured  to  give  his  views  to 
the  War  Department,  which  in  turn  had  ventured  to 
express  itself  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior.  But  let 
us  lose  no  time  in  following  further.  The  Eastern  press, 
and  such  of  the  Eastern  public  as  had  any  leisure  to 
devote  to  the  subject,  persisted  in  looking  upon  Indian 
affairs  from  the  viewpoint  and  remoteness  of  Boston, 
where  once  upon  a  time  Miles  Standish  and  our  Puritan 
forbears  handled  such  matters  in  a  manner  anything 
but  Puritanical.  Nothing  was  left  to  the  military  arm 
of  the  Government  but  temporary  submission,  so,  as  has 
been  said,  "  the  Gray  Fox  "  went  off  on  a  hunt  for  bear, 
mountain  lions,  and  such  big  game  as  was  reported  to 
be  awaiting  him  toward  the  Grand  Canon  to  the  north. 


86      TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

An  adjutant-general  of  the  old  school  was  left  in  charge 
of  the  desk  and  the  department,  and  all  on  a  sudden 
found  that  while  Peace  and  its  commissioners  held  ttair 
sway  far  to  the  south,  grim-visaged  War  had  burst  upon 
the  northward  valleys,  and  chaos  had  come  again. 

The  couriers  bearing  Archer's  report  to  Prescott 
found  others,  similarly  burdened,  from  the  upper  res 
ervation,  from  Camp  Sandy,  and  even  from  points  to 
the  west  and  south  of  department  head-quarters,  all  tell 
ing  of  death  and  depredation.  So,  while  the  chief  of 
staff  ruefully  digested  these  tidings  at  the  office,  the 
couriers  proceeded  to  have  a  time  in  town,  to  the  end 
that,  when  replies  and  instructions  were  in  readiness  to 
be  sent  out,  only  two  of  the  six  were  in  shape  to  take 
them,  and  Archer's  runner — one  of  the  frontier  scouts, 
half  Mexican,  half  Apache — was  one  of  the  two. 

Now,  the  chief  of  staff  had  been  nearly  three  years 
in  Arizona,  had  served  in  similar  capacity  to  predeces 
sors  of  "the  Gray  Fox,"  and  naturally  thought  he  under 
stood  the  Apache,  and  the  situation,  far  better  than  did 
his  new  commander,  and  the  fact  that  he  had  allowed 
this  conviction  to  be  known  had  led  to  a  degree  of 
official  friction  between  himself  and  the  one  aide-de 
camp  left  that  was  fast  verging  on  the  personal.  Bright, 
almost  invariably  the  companion  of  the  general  in  his 
journeyings,  was  even  now  with  him,  lost  in  the  moun 
tains  ninety  miles  in  one  direction ;  Willett,  the  newly 
appointed  aide-de-camp,  was  with  the  commander  of 
Camp  Almy,  ninety  miles  away  in  another,  while  black- 
bearded  Wickham  stood  alone  at  Prescott.  Wickham 
had  not  been  consulted  when  Willett  was  sent  with  con- 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE   SIERRAS     87 

fidential  instructions  to  Almy.  Wickham  would  have 
disapproved,  and  the  chief  of  staff  knew  it.  Wickham 
had  to  be  shown  Archer's  despatch,  though  the  adjutant- 
general  would  gladly  have  concealed  it,  and  now,  in 
chagrin  at  the  outcome  of  affairs  at  Almy,  and  in  con 
sternation  at  the  ebullition  all  around  him,  the  adjutant- 
general  -was  quite  at  a  loss  what  to  do.  Wickham,  if 
asked,  would  have  said  at  once,  "  Send  for  General 
'Crook,"  but  that  would  be  confession  that  he,  the  ex 
perienced,  did  not  know  how  to  handle  the  situation. 
So  again  he  took  no  counsel  with  Wickham,  but  issued 
instructions  in  the  name  of  the  department  commander 
and  ordered  them  carried  out  forthwith. 

Then  it  transpired  that  only  two  couriers  were  fit 
to  go.  Thereupon,  the  commanding  officer  of  the  one 
•cavalry  troop  at  the  post  was  ordered  to  detail  three  non 
commissioned  officers,  with  a  brace  of  troopers  apiece, 
as  bearers  of  despatches  to  Date  Creek,  Wickenberg, 
Sandy  and  the  reservation,  while  Sanchez,  the  Mexican- 
Apache  Mercury,  was  ordered  to  hasten  back  to  Almy 
by  way  of  the  Mazatzal.  It  was  then  but  ten  A.M.,  and 
to  the  annoyance  of  the  adjutant-general,  Sanchez  shook 
his  black  mane  and  said  something  that  sounded  like 
hasta  la  noche — he  wouldn't  start  till  night.  Asked 
why,  the  interpreter  said  he  feared  Apache  Tontos,  and 
l)eing  assured  by  the  adjutant-general  that  no  Tonto 
•could  be  west  of  the  Verde,  intimated  his  conviction 
of  the  officer's  misinformation  by  the  only  sign  he  knew 
as  bearing  on  the  matter — that  of  the  forked  tongue, 
which  called  for  no  interpreter,  as  it  concisely  said, 
Yon  Jie,  Sanchez  meant  neither  insult  nor  insolence, 


88      TONIO,  SON   OF   THE  SIERRAS 

but  the  adjutant-general  regarded  it  as  both,  ordered 
another  sergeant  and  two  men  got  ready  at  once  to  ride 
to  Almy,  and  bade  the  interpreter  take  Sanchez  to  the 
post  guard-house  and  turn  him  over  for  discipline  to  the 
officer  of  the  day.  The  sergeant  started  forty  minutes 
later,  with  his  two  men  at  his  back,  and  just  thirty-five 
minutes  behind  Sanchez,  who  left  the  station  on  the  spur 
of  the  moment,  and 'the  interpreter  with  a  cleft  weasand. 
It  is  a  mistake  for  one  man  to  attempt  the  incarceration 
of  an  armed  half-blood  of  the  Indian  race.  Sanchez 
started  in  the  lead,  afoot,  and,  in  spite  of  his  fear  of 
Tontos,  kept  it  all  the  way  to  the  Mazatzal,  where,  as 
was  later  learned,  he  abandoned  the  paths  of  rectitude 
and  the  trail  to  Almy,  and  joining  a  party  of  twenty 
young  renegades,  complacently  watched  the  coining  of 
that  sergeant  and  detachment  from  behind  the  sheltering 
bowlders  of  Dead  Man's  Canon,  and  thus  it  happened 
that  the  orders  Archer  had  been  expecting  three  long 
days  and  nights  were  destined  never  to  get  to  him. 

It  was  this  situation  he  had  been  puzzling  over  when 
at  ten  P.M.  the  officer  of  the  day  came  in  to  say  that  new 
signal  fires  in  the  east  were  now  being  answered  by 
others  in  the  west,  away  over  in  the  Mazatzal,  and  the 
general  went  forth  to  the  northern  edge  of  the  "  bench  " 
to  have  a  good  look  at  them,  wishing  very  much  he  had 
Stannard  or  Turner  or  "  Capitan  Chiquito  "•  —little 
Harris — to  help  him  guess  their  meaning. 

But  Stannard,  with  his  sturdy  troop,  was  still  far 
afield,  scouting  the  fastnesses  of  the  Mogollon  in  hopes 
still  of  overtaking  the  marauding  band  that  had  ruined 
Bennett's  ranch,  murdered  its  owner,  and  borne  away 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS      89 

into  the  wilds  two  helpless  little  settlers  for  whom  a 
half-crazed,  heart-broken  woman  at  Almy  was  wailing 
night  and  day.  Turner,  following  another  route  and 
clew,  was  exploring  the  Sierra  Ancha  south  of  Tonto 
Creek,  and  Lieutenant  Harris,  in  fever  and  torment,  was 
occupying  an  airy  room  in  the  post  surgeon's  quarters, 
the  object  of  Bentley's  ceaseless  care,  and  of  deep  so 
licitude  on  part  of  the  entire  garrison. 

Borne  in  the  arms  of  Stannard's  men,  poor  young 
Mrs.  Bennett,  raving,  had  been  carried  back  to  the  ruins, 
and  thence  by  ambulance  to  the  post.  There  now  she 
lay  with  her  reason  almost  gone,  nursed  by  the  hospi 
tal  steward's  wife,  and  visited  frequently  by  three  gen 
tle  women,  whose  hearts  were  wrung  at  sight  of  her 
grief.  Mrs.  Stannard  sometimes  spent  hours  in  the 
effort  to  soothe  and  comfort  her.  Mrs.  Archer  was  hardly 
less  assiduous,  but  was  beginning  now  to  have  anxieties 
of  her  own.  Lilian,  her  beloved  daughter,  fancy  free, 
as  the  mother  had  reason  to  know,  up  to  the  time  of  their 
coming  to  this  far-away,  out-of-the-way  station,  seemed 
dangerously  near  the  point  of  losing  her  heart  to  that 
very  attractive  and  presentable  fellow,  Willett,  the  aide- 
de-camp,  and  Mrs.  Archer  did  not  half  like  it. 

When  the  news  was  brought  in  to  Almy  that  Mrs. 
Bennett  had  been  recaptured,  and  that  Lieutenant  Har 
ris  was  wounded  in  the  fight  which  scattered  her  ab 
ductors,  Willett  was  the  first  to  mount  and  away  to  meet 
them.  It  was  his  orderly  who  came  galloping  back  for 
the  ambulance,  and  Willett  who,  before  the  arrival  of 
the  surgeon,  had  caused  to  be  rigged  up  a  capital  litter 
on  which,  later,  by  easy  stages  his  suffering  classmate 


90      TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

was  borne  to  the  post.  Harris  was  indeed  sorely  hurt, 
so  sorely  that  the  faintest  jar  was  agony.  Harris  was 
weak  and  pallid  from  suffering  when  lifted  to  his  couch 
in  the  doctor's  quarters,  bearing  it  all  with  closed  eyes- 
and  clinching  teeth,  suppressing  every  sound.  The  gen 
eral  was  there  to  bear  a  hand  and  speak  a  word  of  cheer, 
all  the  time  wishing  it  were  possible  to  overtake  the 
courier,  by  that  time  nearly  twenty-four  hours  on  his 
way  to  Prescott,  that  he  might  amend  the  wording  o£ 
that  report.  He  was  for  sending  a  "  supplementary  " 
that  very  evening,  but  who  was  there  to  send  ?  Sanchez 
was  the  only  available  post  courier.  The  scouts  were 
away  with  the  cavalry.  Both  troops  were  now  afield. 
Barely  a  dozen  horses  were  left  at  the  post,  and  every;  • 
able-bodied,  ambitious  cavalryman  was  with  his  com 
rades  on  the  trail.  They  who  remained  were  the  extra 
duty  men,  or  the  weaklings.  Moreover,  when  Archer 
spoke  of  it  to  Willett,  the  latter  very  diplomatically  ar 
gued  against  it.  Wait  a  day  and  something  worth  send 
ing  would  surely  turn  up.  Two  such  captains  as  Stan- 
nard  and  Turner  could  not  fail  to  accomplish  something. 
They  could  be  counted  on  to  find  the  hostiles  and  pun 
ish  them  wherever  found.  Moreover,  as  yet,  there  were 
only  evil  tidings  to  send,  for  so  the  wounding  of  Harris 
would  be  regarded,  and  the  recapture  of  poor  Mrs.  Ben 
nett  without  her  children  would  hardly  compensate. 
There  was  still  another  thing  to  be  considered,  but  even 
Willett  balked  at  saying  this.  He  had  said  enough  to 
induce  Acher  to  hold  his  hand  another  day  at  least,  so 
why  use  more  ammunition  until  he  had  to  ? 

Two  days,  therefore,  had  gone  by  without  news  from 


TONIO,  SON   OF  THE  SIERRAS      91 

the  field  column  or  further  message  to  Prescott.  Then 
it  was  easy  to  persuade  Archer  that  it  was  best  to  wait; 
the  return  of  Sanchez,  and,  for  Willett,  those  two  days, 
especially  the  long,  exquisite  evenings,  had  been  full  of1 
sweet  and  thrilling  interest.  "  I  should  be  more  with 
Harris,  I  suppose  you  are  thinking,"  he  had  said  to  Lil 
ian  Archer,  "  and  there  I  would  be,  but — I  cannot  rid 
myself  of  the  feeling  that  he  would  rather  be  alone. 
He  always  was  peculiar,  and  I  seem  to  worry  rather 
than  to  help  him." 

"  But  you  were  classmates,"  said  she,  "  and  I 
thought " 

"  Classmates,  yes,"  he  answered,  "  but  never  much 
together.  Even  classmates,  you  know,  are  not  always 
intimates." 

"  Still  I  should  think  that  now — here — "  she  began 
again,  her  hand  straying  listlessly  over  the  strings  of 
her  guitar,  her  slender  fingers  trying  inaudible  chords. 

He  glanced  over  his  shoulder  to  where  Mrs.  Archer 
and  Mrs.  Stannard,  fast  becoming  warm  friends,  were 
in  chat  near  the  open  doorway.  Then  his  handsome 
head  was  lowered,  and  with  it  the  deep,  melodious  voice. 

"  Can  you  not  think  that  here,  and  now,  I  might  have 
greater  need  of  every  moment?  Any  hour  may  bring 
my  marching  orders." 

She  drew  back,  just  a  little.  This  was  only  the  even 
ing  after  his  return  with  the  wounded.  "  You  always 
welcome  field  orders,"  she  ventured. 

"  I  always  have — hitherto." 

The  voice  of  Mrs.  Archer  was  uplifted  at  this  junc 
ture,  just  a  bit.  "  Lilian,  dear,  you  and  Mr.  Willett 


92      TONIO,  SON   OF  THE   SIERRAS 

would  be  wise  to  pull  your  chairs  this  way.  I've  never 
liked  that  corner  since  'Tonio's  discovery.  Where  is 
'Tonio,  Mr.  Willett?" 

"  I  wish  I  knew,  Mrs.  Archer,"  said  Willett,  rising 
and  holding  forth  a  hand  to  aid  Miss  Archer  to  her 
feet — something  she  did  not  need,  yet  took.  "  He  was 
with  Stannard  when  I  left.  He  was  with  him  when 
they  rescued  Mrs.  Bennett.  He  was  said  to  be  all 
distress  when  he  saw  that  Harris  was  hit — and  then  he 
disappeared.  Stannard' s  last  despatch  said  he  had  not 
rejoined." 

It  was  another  beautiful,  moonlit  evening,  and  the 
post  was  very  still.  The  men  of  Archer's  two  infantry 
companies  were  clustered  about  their  log  barracks  or 
wandering  away  by  twos  and  threes  to  the  trader's 
store  on  the  flats.  The  general  was  pacing  the  parade 
in  earnest  and  murmured  talk  with  the  post  adjutant. 
Bentley,  the  surgeon,  was  busy  with  his  charges,  having 
left  Harris  in  a  fitful,  feverish  doze.  Not  since  the 
night  of  the  calamity  at  Bennett's  had  the  sentries 
reported  sign  of  signal  fire  in  the  hills,  but  this  night, 
before  the  last  filament  of  gold  had  died  at  the  top  of 
the  peak,  Number  Four  had  caught  a  glimpse  of  a  tiny 
blaze  afar  over  to  the  east,  and  instantly  passed  the 
word.  Only  half  an  hour  it  was  observed,  and  then, 
away  toward  the  south-east,  an  answering  gleam  burned 
for  a  moment  against  the  black  background  of  the  Si 
erras.  Then  both  went  out  as  suddenly  as  they  started. 

The  general  was  dining  at  the  moment,  and,  believing 
that  the  fires  would  not  so  soon  be  extinguished,  the 
officer  of  the  day  had  not  at  once  reported  them.  He 


TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS      i)3 

was  at  Archer's  door  as  the  veteran  came  forth,  ha 
ranguing  Willett,  again  his  guest  at  dinner,  but  with 
anxious  eyes  turned  at  once  to  hear  the  report.  "  No 
matter  what  time  it  happens,"  he  said,  "  hereafter, 
when  signals  are  seen,  let  the  guard  notify  me  at  once." 
And  the  officer  retired  musing  over  this  bit  of  evidence 
that  the  commanding  officer  was  growing  a  trine  irri 
table. 

It  was  soon  after  guard  mount  next  day  that  two 
runners  from  Sandy  had  come  in,  weary  and  hungry. 
"  'Patchie  sign — todas  paries"  said  the  leader,  after 
delivering  his  despatch.  But  he,  too,  was  half  Apache 
and  had  squirmed  through  without  mishap.  For  two 
hours  after  reading  Archer  kept  the  contents  to  himself. 
The  adjutant-general  wished  to  consult  him  at  Prescott. 
Ninety  miles  north-west  by  buckboard,  through  a  coun 
try  infested  by  hostile  Indians !  It  was  a  trip  he  little 
cared  to  take  and  leave  his  wife  and  daughter  here ! 
At  noon  he  had  had  to  tell  them,  and  tell  Willett,  who 
was  teaching  Lilian  a  fandango  he  had  heard  on  the 
Colorado.  Mother  and  daughter  looked  anxiously  at 
each  other  and  said  nothing.  It  was  decided  he  should 
wait  until  night  before  arranging  when  to  start.  Surely 
this  night  should  bring  news  of  some  kind. 

And  surely  enough,  at  ten  came  the  summons  that 
took  him,  field-glass  in  hand,  to  the  northward  edge  of 
the  little  mesa  again.  Somewhere  in  the  direction  of 
Diamond  Butte,  almost  due  east,  one  fire  was  brightly 
blazing.  Over  in  the  Mazatzal  to  the  westward  there 
were  two,  and  even  as  they  stood  and  studied  them, 
Archer  dropped  his  glasses  at  an  exclamation  of  sur- 


prise  from  one  of  his  officers,  and  there,  gaunt  and 
weary,  yet  erect  and  fearless,  stood  'Tonio.  Like  a 
wraith  he  seemed  to  have  blown  in  among  them,  and 
now  patiently  awaited  the  attention  of  the  commander ; 
yet,  when  accosted,  all  he  would  say  in  answer  to  ques 
tion,  for  they  knew  not  his  native  tongue,  was  "  Capi- 
tan  CJiiquito  I " 

So  they  led  him  to  the  doctor's  quarters,  and  Bentley 
tiptoed  in  to  see  what  Harris  was  doing.  He  was  awake, 
in  pain  and  fever,  but  clear-headed.  "  Of  course  I'm 
able  to  see  ?Tonio,"  said  he.  "  I  need  to  see  him." 
Whereupon  shufflings  were  heard  in  the  hallway  with 
out,  and  presently  in  the  dim  lamplight  'Tonio  knelt 
by  the  young  chief's  side,  took  the  clutching  white 
hand  and  laid  it  one  instant  on  his  head.  To  no  other 
of  their  number  had  'Tonio  ever  tendered  such  homage. 
Bising  to  his  feet,  he  looked  about  him,  his  glittering 
eyes  fixed  one  moment  in  mute  appeal  ;  another  moment, 
and  gloomily,  they  studied  Willett's  handsome  face. 
Then  he  spoke,  Harris  half  haltingly  explaining.  It 
began  languidly  on  the  latter's  part.  It  quickly  changed 
to  excitement,  then  to  vehement  life.  'Tonio  was  tell 
ing  of  some  sharp  encounter  wherein  women  and  chil 
dren  had  been  slain,  whereby  the  mountain  tribes  were 
all  aroused,  and  then  he  had  gone  on  to  declare  what 
Indian  vengeance  would  demand.  Impassioned,  'Tonio 
threw  himself  at  the  first  pause  on  his  knees  by  the  side 
of  the  cot  whereon  lay  his  beloved  Capitan,  and  it  was  to 
him  he  spoke.  It  was  he  who  translated: 

"  ISTo  one,"  said  'Tonio,  "  should  venture  beyond  sen 
try  post  either  day  or  night.  Even  now.  the  rocks  and 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS      95 

woods  about  the  station  were  full  of  foemen.  "  Get 
ready  to  fight  them  and  to  take  care  of  the  women  and 
children.  They  mean  revenge!  They  mean  attack! 
Eenegade  Apaches !  "  said  he,  "  all  renegade !  Apache- 
Mohave,  no ! " 


CHAPTER   IX. 

THE  night  was  still  young.  The  conference  at  the 
surgeon's  house  was  brief,  for  Bentley,  fearing  for  his 
patient,  hustled  all  but  'Tonio  out  into  the  open  air 
just  as  soon  as  the  Indian  signalled  "  I  have  spoken/' 
which  meant  he  would  tell  no  more.  Brief  as  it  was, 
the  interview  had  sent  the  wounded  officer's  pulse  up 
hill  by  twenty  beats,  and  Bentley  knew  what  that  meant. 
Still  it  had  to  be.  'Tonio  brought  tidings  of  ominous 
import,  and  the  public  safety  demanded  that  his  warn 
ing  should  be  made  known,  and  who  was  there  to  trans 
late  but  Harris  ?  "  If  it  were  only  Chinook,  now," 
said  Willett,  "  I  could  have  tackled  it,  but,  except  a  few 
signs,  Apache  is  beyond  me." 

So  while  the  doctor  was  giving  sedatives  to  his  pa 
tient,  and  the  doctor's  servant  giving  food  to  'Tonio, 
Archer  gathered  his  few  remaining  officers  about  him 
in  the  moonlight  and  discussed  the  situation.  From 
'Tonio's  description,  the  affray  that  had  aroused  the 
Apaches  far  and  wide  had  occurred  three  days  earlier, 
just  at  dawn,  among  the  rocky  fastnesses  of  the  Mogol- 
lon,  perhaps  "  two  sleeps  "  to  the  north-east,  the  very 
direction  in  which  Stannard  was  scouting.  But  it 
wasn't  Standard's  command.  'Tonio  said  the  soldiers 
were  from  up  the  Verde,  and  the  scouts  were  Hualpais, 
and  then  Archer  understood.  Between  the  Hualpais, 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS      97 

finest  and  northernmost  of  the  Arizona  tribesmen,  and 
the  Tonto  Apache  there  had  long  been  feud.  It  was 
evident  from  'Tonio's  description  that  a  rancheria  of 
the  latter  had  been  surprised — "  jumped  "  in  the  ver 
nacular — just  about  dawn;  that  the  Hualpais,  rushing 
in,  rejoicing  in  abundant  breechloaders  and  cartridges, 
had  shot  right  and  left,  scattering  the  fugitives  and 
slaying  the  stay-behinds,  who,  crippled  by  wounds  or 
cumbered  by  squaws  and  pappooses,  could  not  get  away. 
The  soldiers,  though  only  a  hundred  yards  or  so  behind, 
were  slow  climbers  as  compared  with  the  scouts,  and 
though  the  few  officers  and  men  did  what  they  could 
to  stop  the  wretched  killing,  a  few  women  and  children 
were  found  among  the  dead,  and  the  word  was  going 
the  length  of  the  Sierra,  far  to  the  south-east,  and 
would  never  stop  till  it  reached  Sonora  and  Chihuahua, 
that  the  white  chief  had  ordered  his  soldiers  to  kill,  so 
ithey  might  as  well  die  fighting. 

"  If  they  were  to  concentrate  now,  first  on  Stannard, 
and  then  on  Turner,"  said  Archer — "  ambuscade  them 
in  a  caiion,  say — I'm  afraid  we'd  see  few  of  their 
fellows  again." 

"  Or  if  they  only  knew  their  strength,"  spoke  up 
the  only  captain  left  at  the  post,  "  and  were  to  con 
centrate,  say,  five  hundred  fighting  men  upon  us  here, 
it's  little  the  rest  of  the  world  would  ever  see  of  us" 

Archer  turned  half -angrily  upon  the  speaker.  "  You 
never  yet,  Captain  Bonner,  have  heard  of  Apaches  at 
tacking  a  garrisoned  post,  even  though  the  garrison  was 
smaller  than  ours,  and  I  believe  you  never  will.  The 


98      TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS 

question  I  have  to  settle  is  how  to  send  warning  to 
our  two  field  columns." 

For  a  moment  there  was  none  to  offer  suggestion. 
There  were  present  only  seven  officers,  all  told,  Bentley 
being  still  with  his  young  patient.  Anxious  eyes  were 
Watching  the  little  group,  their  white  coats  gleaming 
in  the  moonlight.  Over  at  the  barracks  a  score  of  sol 
diers,  slipping  from  their  bunks,  clustered  at  the  wide- 
open  doors  and  windows.  Over  at  the  hospital  two  or 
three  convalescents,  with  the  steward  and  the  nurse,  sat 
gazing  from  the  shaded  piazza.  Over  at  the  com 
mander's  quarters  Mrs.  Archer,  Mrs.  Stannard  and 
Lilian,  sitting  closer  for  comfort,  murmured  occasional 
word,  but  their  eyes  seldom  quit  their  anxious  scrutiny. 
To  Mrs.  Stannard  it  was  no  novel  experience.  To  Mrs. 
Archer  and  her  daughter,  despite  their  longer  years  in 
the  army,  it  was  thrillingly  new.  In  the  utter  silence 
on  the  line  and  throughout  the  garrison  the  rhythmic 
tramp  of  feet,  muffled  by  distance,  could  not  fail  to 
catch  their  straining  ears,  and  far  over  across  the  pa 
rade,  behind  the  barracks,  betrayed  by  the  glint  of  the 
moonlight  on  sloping  steel,  a  shadowy  little  detachment 
went  striding  away  toward  the  nearest  sentry  post. 

"  They  are  doubling  the  guard,"  said  Mrs.  Stan 
nard.  Then  the  group  at  the  flagstaff  broke  up.  Three 
officers  went  with  the  commander  toward  the  office, 
others  toward  the  company  quarters.  One  came  swiftly, 
purposely,  toward  the  waiting  trio.  Lilian  knew  it  was 
.Willett  even  before  they  could  recognize  his  walk  and 
carriage.  Mrs.  Archer  rose  to  meet  him.  All  they 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS      99 

yet  knew  was  that  'Tonio  was  in  with  tidings  of  some 
kind — Doyle  had  told  them  that. 

"  Tell  us  what  you  can,"  was  all  she  said. 

"  The  time-honored  tale  of  Indian  uprising,"  saiJ 
Willett  airily.  "  Something  IVe  heard  every  six  weeks, 
I  should  say,  since  they  gave  me  a  sword." 

"  But  they've  doubled  the  guard." 

"  Only  changed  it,  I  fancy.  The  general  wants  some 
few  cavalrymen  for  a  scout  in  the  Mazatzal." 

Mrs.  Stannard  knew  better,  but  held  her  peace.  The 
object  at  least  was  laudable,  if  not  the  lie.  All  three 
had  risen  now  and  were  standing  at  the  edge  of  the 
veranda,  Mrs.  Archer's  gentle,  anxious  eyes  following 
the  soldierly  form  just  vanishing  within  the  shadows  at 
the  office,  Lilian's  gaze  fixed  upon  the  handsome  features 
of  the  young  soldier  before  her. 

"  'Tonio  brought  news,  did  he  not  ? "  asked  Mrs. 
Stannard. 

"  'Tonio  had  to  tell  something,  you  know,  to  cover 
his  mysterious  movements.  'Tonio's  story  may  be  cock 
and  bull  for  all  we  know.  It  is  just  such  a  yarn  as  I 
have  heard  told  many  a  time  and  oft  in  the  Columbia 
basin.  Most  Indians  are  born  liars,  and  'Tonio  has 
everything  to  gain  and  nothing  to  lose  in  telling  a  be 
lievable  whopper  now.  ' Tonio  says  his  people  are  per 
secuted  saints,  and  all  others  perjured  sinners." 

And  just  then,  through  the  silence  of  the  night,  there 
rose  upon  the  air,  distant  yet  distinct,  the  prolonged, 
anguished,  heart-broken  wail  of  a  woman  in  dire  dis 
tress — a  Rachel  mourning  for  her  children,  and  refusing 
to  be  comforted.  There  was  instant  scraping  of  chairs 


100     TONIO,  SON   OF  THE  SIERRAS 

on  the  hospital  porch,  and  one  or  two  shadows  vanished 
within  the  dimly  lighted  doorway.  "  Oh,  poor  Mrs. 
Bennett !  "  cried  Mrs.  Archer.  "  I'm  going  over  a  little 
while.  Come,  Lilian." 

"  Let  me  go  with  you,"  said  Mrs.  Stannard,  ever 
sympathetic  with  young  hearts  and  hopes.  But  Lilian 
had  been  well  trained  and — went,  the  two  wives  and 
mothers  walking  arm  in  arm  in  front,  the  other  two, 
the  girl  of  eighteen,  the  youth  of  twenty-five,  gradually 
dropping  behind.  The  elders  entered  the  building,  fol 
lowing  the  wife  of  the  hospital  steward;  the  juniors 
paced  slowly  onward  to  the  edge  of  the  low  bluff  over 
looking  the  moonlit  valley,  with  the  shining  stream  mur 
muring  over  its  shallows  in  the  middle  distance.  Lil 
ian's  white  hand  still  rested  on  the  strong  arm  that  drew 
it  so  closely  to  the  soldier's  side,  and  both  were  for  the 
moment  silent.  He  seemed  strangely  quiet  and  thought 
ful,  and  she  stood  beside  him  now  with  downcast  eyes 
and  fluttering  heart,  for,  as  she  would  have  followed  her 
mother,  he  had  bent  his  head  and,  almost  in  whisper, 
said: 

"  Come — one  minute.     It  may  be  my  last  chance." 

And  the  girl  in  her  had  yielded,  as  what  girl  would 
not? 

Presently  he  began  to  speak,  and  now  his  head  was 
bowing  low;  his  eyes,  though  she  saw  them  not,  were 
drinking  in  the  lily-like  beauty  of  the  sweet,  downcast 
face.  One  quick  look  she  flashed  at  him  as  he  began, 
then  the  long  lashes  swept  her  cheek. 

"  I  could  not  tell  your  mother  the  whole  truth,  just 
then,"  he  began.  "  I've  got  to  tell  you  something  of  it 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS     101 

now.  Until  to-night  I  never  krae^whaj^it  was.tp—to 
shrink  from  news  of  action.  ,  IsTow — I  know." 

She  wanted  to  hear  "  why/?  even, when  he*;  own -heart 
was  telling  her.  She  wanted  him  to  say,  yet  coquetted 
with  her  own  desire.  "  Is — it  serious  news  ?  "  she  fal 
tered. 

"  So  serious  that  Stannard,  or  Turner,  or  both,  may 
be  in  grave  danger,  and  there's  no  one  to  go  and  warn 
them  but — me !  " 

"  You  ?  "  and  up  came  the  troubled,  beautiful  eyes. 

"  Yes.  Ask  yourself  who  else  there  is.  The  scouts 
are  gone.  Sanchez  has  not  returned.  There's  but  a 
baker's  dozen  of  troopers  and  troop  horses  left  at  the 
post.  The  general  needs  to  send  a  little  party  to  explore 
the  Mazatzal.  'Tonio  can't  be  trusted.  Harris  has — 
practically — put  himself  out  of  it.  Don't  you  know  me 
well  enough  to  know — I've  got  to  go?" 

She  was  only  just  eighteen.  She  had  lived  her  inno 
cent  life  at  that  fond  mother's  side.  She  had  read  of 
knightly  deeds  in  many  an  hour,  and  her  heroes  were 
such  as  Ivanhoe  and  William  Wallace,  Bayard  and 
Philip  Sidney,  the  Black  Prince  and  Henry  of  the 
snow-white  plume.  Four  days  agone  her  heart  had 
first  stood  still,  then  thrilled  with  girlish  admiration 
when  they  told  her  how  Harris  had  met  his  serious 
wound,  and,  for  just  that  day,  that  soldierly  young 
trooper  was  the  centre  of  her  stage.  Then  Willett  re 
turned,  with  a  different  version,  and  other  things  to 
murmur  to  her  listening  ears.  Then  Willett  had  been 
at  leisure  two — three — long  days,  and,  save  that  mourn 
ful  tragedy  at  the  ranch,  casting  its  spell  over  the  entire 


102     TONIO,  SON   OF  THE  SIERRAS 

post,  sufficient  in  itself  to  strike  terror  to  a  girlish  soul, 
to  inspire  it  to  seek  strength  and  protection  of  the 
stroLii'jGr  arm.,  what  else  was  there  to  occupy  the  heart 
of  a  young  maid  here  at  sun-baked,  mud-colored,  mo 
notonous  old  Almy?  The  one  thing  that  would  trans 
form  a  desert  into  paradise  had  blossomed  in  her  fair, 
innocent,  girlish  bosom,  and  he  who  had  marked  the 
symptoms  many  a  time  knew  that  the  pretty  bird  was 
fluttering  to  his  hand.  The  one  precaution  needful 
was — no  sudden  shock — no  word  or  deed  to  bring  rude 
awakening. 

But  even  now  she  stood,  trembling  a  bit,  trying  not 
to  believe  that  he  must  leave  the  post — must  leave  her, 
and  on  so  dangerous  a  mission.  She  was  silent  because 
she  knew  not  what  to  say,  yet  knew  that  what  Jbe  had 
said  almost  turned  her  cold  with  dread.  He  saw  the 
hesitancy,  and  struck  again: 

"  Must  go— to-night." 

"  Oh,  Mr.  Willett !  "  And  now  the  little  face,  up 
lifted  suddenly,  was  piteous  as  he  could  wish.  It  fell 
again  for  shame  at  her  self -betrayal,  for  sheer  helpless 
ness  and  dismay,  for  the  sudden  realization  of  what  the 
long  days  now  would  be  without  him,  for  what  life  might 
be  if  he  never  came  back.  With  all  her  pride  and 
strength  and  maidenly  reserve  she  was  struggling  hard 
to  fight  back  the  sob  that  was  rising  to  her  throat,  the 
tears  that  came  welling  to  her  eyes,  but  he  would  have 
the  tribute  of  both,  and  murmured  again: 

"  Lilian,  little  girl,  don't  you  know  why  I  cannot 
bear  to  go — just  yet  ?  " 

And  then,  shaking  from  head  to  foot,  she  bowed  her 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS     103 

face  upon  her  hands,  and  Willett's  arms  were  around 
her  in  the  instant,  and  after  one  little  struggle,  she 
nestled  in  a  moment,  sobbing,  on  his  heart.  She  did 
not  even  see  the  sentry  coming  slowly  up  the  path,  and 
when  girl  or  woman  is  blind  to  all  about  her  but  just 
one  man,  her  love  is  overwhelming. 

It  was  he  who  whispered  word  of  warning,  as  his  lips 
pressed  their  kisses  on  her  soft  and  wavy  hair.  It  was 
he  who  calmly  hailed  the  guardian  of  the  night,  asking 
if  further  sign  had  been  seen,  adding,  "  Runners  may 
well  be  coming  in  to-night,  just  as  did  7Tonio."  It  was 
he  who  promptly.,  cordially  answered  Mrs.  Archer,  call 
ing  Lilian  fronj.  the  angle  of  the  hospital,  kneeling  in 
stantly  as  though  to  fasten  a  loosened  bootlace.  And 
then,  as  he  presently  led  his  silent  captive  back  toward 
the  parad.e,  talked  laughingly  of  the  sentry's  broken 
English,  imitating  so  well  the  accent  of  the  Rhineland. 
"  No  word  of  this  just  yet,"  he  murmured,  ere  they 
reached  the  general's  door,  and  saw  that  veteran  hos- 
pita"V)ly  awaiting  them.  "  It  is  so  sudden,  so  sweet  a 
surprise.  Come  what  may  now,  I  shall  not  go  until  I 
h.ave  seen  you  again.  What,  general  ?  Sangaree  ?  I'd 
Jike  it  above  all  things !  " 

Two  horsemen  came  trotting  across  the  parade,  threw 
themselves  from  saddle,  and  one  stepped  swiftly  to  the 
group,  his  hand  at  the  hat  brim  in  salute. 

"  Well,  sergeant,  you  have  been  prompt !  "  the  gen 
eral  was  saying.  "  You  have  your  letter  for  Captain 
Turner? — and  Woodrow  is  to  follow  Captain  Stan- 
nard?  Good  again!  Do  most  of  your  trailing  by 
night.  The  Apaches  are  cowards  in  the  dark,  and  you 


104     TONIO,   SON   OF  THE  SIERRAS 

can't  miss  the  trail.     God  be  with  you,  my  men !     Your 
names  go  to  General  Crook  in  my  first  report !  " 

Another  moment  and  they  were  away,  and  two  more 
had  taken  their  place — two  who  waited  while  Mrs.  Stan- 
nard  pencilled  a  few  hurried  words  to  her  "  Luce," 
while  Lilian,  with  a  world  of  rapture,  thanksgiving  and 
rejoicing  in  her  heart,  was  striving  to  regain  self-con 
trol,  and  avoid  her  mother's  eye,  a  thing  she  never 
before  had  done,  nor  would  she  now  be  doing  but  for 
that  splendid,  knightly,  heroic,  self-poised,  soldierly 
fellow,  standing  so  commandingly,  gracefully  there,  con 
ferring  one  minute  with  her  soldier  father,  and  the 
next — helping  Mrs.  Archer  to  more  small  talk  and 
sangaree. 


CHAPTER   X. 

THE  night  had  gone  by  without  alarm.  !No  further 
signals  were  seen.  ~No  runners  came  in.  Poor  Mrs. 
Bennett,  under  the  influence  of  some  soothing  medicine, 
had  fallen  asleep.  The  doctor,  coming  in  late  from  a 
visit  to  the  hospital,  found  Harris  still  wakeful,  but  not 
so  feverish,  and  'Tonio,  worn  and  wearied,  stretched  on 
a  E"avajo  blanket,  seemed  sleeping  soundly  on  the  side 
piazza,  just  without  the  door.  The  general  and  Wil- 
lett  had  sat  and  smoked,  with  an  occasional  toddy,  until 
after  the  midnight  call  of  the  sentries,  the  former  still 
expectant  of  the  return  of  Sanchez;  the  latter  ponder 
ing  in  mind  certain  theories  of  Wickham  as  to  the  Apa 
che  situation,  to  which  at  first  he  had  paid  little  heed. 
If  Wickham  were  right,  then  Sanchez  might  never  have 
reached  Prescott.  If  so,  the  general  need  never  have 
to  amend  that  report. 

And  that  the  matter  troubled  Archer  more  than  a 
little  Willett  was  not  too  pleased  to  see.  Moreover,  it 
was  evident  that  not  only  Bentley,  the  surgeon,  but 
Strong,  the  young  adjutant,  Bucketts,  the  veteran  cav 
alry  subaltern  doing  duty  as  post  quartermaster,  and  the 
three  company  officers  of  Archer's  regiment  stationed  at 
Almy — all  were  determined  to  consider  Harris  de 
cidedly  in  the  light  of  the  hero  of  the  recent  episode. 
It  was  a  matter  Willett  would  not  discuss  with  them, 


106     TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

nor,  when  they  somewhat  pointedly  referred  to  Harris 
and  his  part  in  the  affair,  was  it  Willett's  policy  to 
say  aught  in  deprecation.  As  "  the  representative  of 
the  commanding  general "  temporarily  at  the  post,  and 
observing  the  condition  of  affairs,  it  was  his  proper 
function  to  give  all  men  his  ear  and  none  his  tongue, 
to  hear  everything  and  say  nothing.  But  the  adjutant 
knew,  and  had  not  been  able  to  keep  entirely  to  himself, 
the  fact  that  Sanchez  was  the  bearer  of  a  report  adverse 
to  Lieutenant  Harris — that  no  modification  thereof  had 
been  prepared — even  after  Harris  was  brought  in  dan 
gerously  wounded,  the  result  of  his  daring  effort  to 
rescue  an  unfortunate  woman  from  a  fearful  fate.  The 
adjutant  had  gone  so  far  as  to  hint  to  that  much-loved 
lieutenant-colonel  of  infantry,  Brevet  Brigadier-General 
Archer,  that  he  should  be  glad  to  write  at  his  dictation 
a  report  setting  Harris  right,  as  surely  as  the  other 
had  set  him  wrong,  and  for  the  first  time  Strong  found 
his  commanding  officer  petulant  and  testy.  It  was 
exactly  what  Archer  himself  thought  it  his  duty  to  do, 
yet  he  was  annoyed  that  any  one  else  should  think  so. 
Moreover,  he  had  taken  counsel  with  Willett,  and  Wil- 
lett  had  said  that  he  would  be  the  last  man  to  deny  a 
classmate  and  comrade  any  honor  justly  his  due,  nor 
would  he  stand  in  the  way  of  General  Archer's  writing 
anything  he  saw  fit,  but,  as  the  officer  present  on  the 
spot  and  cognizant  of  all  the  circumstances  connected 
with  Harris's  going,  he  had  yet  a  report  to  make  to  the 
department  commander. 

"  Frankly,  general,"  said  he,  "  I  do  not  wish  to  say. 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS     107 

what  I  know  unless  I  have  to — and  your  changing  your 
report  might  make  it  necessary." 

This  had  occurred  the  night  before  'Tonio's  coming, 
and  now,  in  the  silence  of  midnight,  as  the  two  sat 
smoking  on  the  veranda,  while  Lilian  lay  in  her  little 
white  room  listening  in  wordless  rapture,  in  sweet  un 
rest,  to  the  murmurous  sound  of  the  deep  voice  that  had 
enthralled  her  senses,  while  Mrs.  Archer,  wife  and 
mother,  slept  the  sleep  of  the  just  and  the  wearied,  the 
old  general  turned  again  to  that  subject  that  weighed 
so  heavily  on  his  heart  and  soul. 

"  By  heaven,  Willett,"  he  said,  "  here  it  is  midnight 
and  no  Sanchez.  If  he  isn't  in  by  mail-time  to-morrow 
I'll  have  to  send  a  party — or  else  a  courier — to  Pres- 
cott." 

"  Does  the  mail  usually  reach  you  Sunday,  sir  ?  " 

"  Hasn't  failed  once  since  my  coming !  They  send 
it  by  way  of  McDowell,  over  on  the  Verde.  If  Sanchez 
isn't  here,  or  the  mail  either,  I'll  know  that  'Tonio  was 
right,  that  we're  hemmed  in,  and  that  they  have  killed 
our  messengers.  And  they  are  expecting  to  hear  from 
me  at  head-quarters,  and  probably  wondering  at  my 
silence.  Another  thing  to  be  explained." 

"  Another  ?  "  said  Willett. 

"  Another.  Of  course  I  must  straighten  out  that  mat 
ter  about  Harris.  I  own  I  sent  it  under  wrong  im — 
impressions.  I  thought  at  first  he  had  ignored  my  au 
thority,  but  that  was  unjust.  The  more  I  think  of  it, 
the  more  I  blame  myself." 

"  Then — how  you  must  blame  me!  " 

"  Well — no !     You  doubtless  feel  that  he  did  ignore 


108     TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

you  and  your  authority,  though  I  own  it  wasn't  my 
intention  that  you  should  assume  command  over  him. 
You  are  both  young  and  you  perhaps  judge  more  sharply 
than  I,  but  IVe  learned  to  know  the  fallibility  of  hu 
man  judgment.  IVe  suffered  too  much  from  it  myself, 
and  the  fact  stares  me  in  the  face  that  Harris  knew  just 
what  ought  to  be  done,  and  went  and  did  it.  He  res 
cued  that  poor  creature  at  the  risk  of  his  life,  and  he 
— deserves  the  credit  of  it." 

Willett  was  silent  a  moment.  He  seemed  reluctant 
to  speak.  Finally  and  slowly  he  said: 

"  General  Archer,  it  is  an  ungracious  thing  to  pull 
down  another  man's  reputation,  especially  when,  as  in 
this  case,  Harris  and  I  are  classmates  and  I,  at  least, 
am  his  friend.  And,  therefore,  I  still  prefer  to  say  noth 
ing.  I  was  in  hopes  that  Captain  Stannard  and  his  fel 
lows  might  be  back  by  this  time,  with  the  Bennett  boys 
for  one  thing,  and  with — the  truth  for  another." 

"  What  truth  ?"  demanded  Archer. 

"  The  real  truth — as  I  look  upon  it — the  real  credit 
of  that  rescue,  you  will  find,  sir,  belongs  to  Stannard 
and  his  troop,  with  such  little  aid  as  they  may  have  re 
ceived  from  those  who  advised  and  guided  them — the 
scouts.  But  for  Stannard  the  hostiles  would  have  gotten 
away,  not  only  with  Mrs.  Bennett,  but  with  Harris. 
Harris  made  a  hair-brained  attempt  to  rescue  her  single- 
handed.  He  only  succeeded  in  running  his  own  neck 
into  a  noose.  Your  wisdom,  and  God's  mercy,  sent 
Stannard  just  in  the  nick  of  time,  and  there's  the  whole 
situation  in  a  nut  shell." 

For  a  moment  Archer  was  silent.    Who  does  not  like 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS     109 

to  hear  praise  of  his  wisdom,  especially  when  self- 
inclined  to  doubt  it  ? 

"  But  the  doctor  tells  me  Harris  had  the  Indians  on 
the  run  before  ever  Stannard  was  sighted — that  he  and 
his  handful  of  scouts  alone  attacked,  defeated  and  drove 
them,  that  his  scouts  were  chasing  them  and  were  mis 
taken  themselves  for  hostiles,  and  were  fired  at  by 
Stannard's  men  at  long  range." 

"  Yes,"  said  Willett,  with  calm  deliberation.  "  That 
is  just  the  story  I  should  expect  Harris  to  tell." 

And  sore  at  heart,  and  far  from  satisfied,  the  general 
suggested  a  nightcap,  and  Willett  presently  left  him, 
though  not,  as  it  subsequently  transpired,  for  the  adju 
tant's  quarters  and  for  bed.  It  was  late  the  following 
day  before  his  next  appearance  near  the  Archers. 

Sunday  morning  had  come,  as  peaceful  and  serene  as 
any  that  ever  broke  on  ~New  England  village,  and  Sun 
day  noon,  hot  and  still,  and  many  an  hour  since  early 
sun  up  anxious  eyes  had  scanned  the  old  McDowell  trail, 
visible  in  places  many  a  mile  before  it  disappeared 
among  the  foothills  of  the  Mazatzal,  but  not  a  whiff  of 
dust  rewarded  the  eager  watchers. 

Archer's  binocular  hung  at  the  south-west  pillar  of 
the  porch,  and  another  swung  at  the  northward  veranda 
of  the  old  log  hospital.  The  road  to  Dead  Man's  Canon 
wound  along  the  west  bank  of  the  stream,  sometimes 
fording  it  for  a  short  cut,  and  that  road,  the  one  by 
which  Sanchez  should  have  come,  was  watched  wellnigh 
as  closely  as  the  other.  Nothing  up  to  luncheon  time 
had  been  seen  or  heard  of  human  being  moving  without 


110     TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

the  limits  of  the  post ;  nothing  by  Lilian  Archer  of  her 
gallant  of  the  night  before. 

In  times  of  such  anxiety  men  gather  and  compare 
notes.  The  guard  had  been  strengthened  during  the 
night,  and  its  members  sat  long  in  the  moonlight, 
chatting  in  low  tone.  The  officer  of  the  day,  making 
the  rounds  toward  two  o'clock,  noted  that  the  lights 
were  still  burning  at  the  store,  and,  sauntering  thither, 
found  a  game  going  on  in  the  common  room — Dago- 
seeking  solace  from  his  sorrows  in  limited  monte 
with  three  or  four  employes  and  packers,  while  in  the 
officers'  room  was  still  another,  with  only  one  officer 
present  and  participating.  To  Captain  Bonner's  sur 
prise  Lieutenant  Willett,  aide-de-camp,  was  "  sitting 
in  "  with  Bill  Craney,  the  trader,  Craney's  brother-in- 
law  and  partner,  Mr.  Watts,  Craney's  bookkeeper,  Mr. 
Case,  a  man  of  fair  education  and  infirm  character 
who  had  never,  it  was  said,  succeeded  in  holding  any 
other  position  as  long  as  six  months.  Here,  as  Craney 
admitted,  he  hadn't  enough  to  occupy  him  three  weeks 
out  of  the  four,  and,  so  long  as  he  could  tend  to  that 
much,  he  was  welcome  to  "  tank  up  "  when  he  pleased. 
That  clerk  had  been  a  gentleman,  he  said,  and  be 
haved  himself  like  one  now,  even  when  he  was  drunk. 
The  officers  treated  him  with  much  consideration,  but 
to  no  liquor.  Willett,  knowing  nothing  of  his  past, 
had  been  doing  the  opposite,  and  Mr.  Case's  monthly 
spree  was  apparently  starting  four  days  ahead  of  time. 
Moreover,  Mr.  Case  seemed  inspired  by  some  further 
agent,  for  though  unobstrusive,  almost,  as  ever,  he  was 
possessed  with  a  strange,  feverish  impulse  to  pit  him- 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS     111 

self  against  Willett,  and  almost  to  ignore  all  others  in, 
the  game.  A  fifth  player  was  a  stranded  prospector 
whom  Craney  knew,  and  presumably  vouched  for.  Luck 
must  have  been  going  Willett's  way  in  violation  of  the 
adage,  at  the  time  of  Bonner's  entrance,  for  the  table 
in  front  of  him  was  stacked  high  with  chips,  and  foul 
men  of  the  five  were  apparently  getting  excited. 

Bonner  seldom  played  anything  stronger  than  casino 
and  cribbage,  nor  did  he  often  waste  an  hour,  night 
or  day,  in  the  card  room.  This  night,  however,  he  was 
wakeful,  and  had  seen  that  which  even  made  him  a 
trifle  nervous.  He  had  visited  every  sentry  post,  finding 
his  men  alert  and  vigilant.  'Tonio's  words  had  already 
been  communicated  to  the  guard,  and  self-preservation 
alone  prompted  every  man  to  keep  a  sharp  lookout. 
Bonner  had  noted  as  he  stepped  out  on  the  side  porch 
of  his  quarters,  where  hung  the  big  earthen  olla 
in  its  swathing  bands,  that  'Tonio  lay,  apparently 
sound  asleep,  at  the  side  door  of  the  doctor's  quarters, 
and  Bonner  found  himself  pondering  over  the  un 
doubted  devotion  of  this  silent,  lonely  son  of  the  desert 
to  the  young  soldier  lying  wounded  within.  Bonner 
left  him  as  he  found  him.  'Tonio  had  not  stirred. 
Barely  twenty  minutes  thereafter,  as  he  finished  ex 
amination  of  the  two  sentries  on  the  north  front,  and 
came  down  along  the  bank  at  the  rear  of  the  officers' 
quarters,  he  found  Number  Five,  a  Civil  War  veteran 
and,  therefore,  not  easily  excited,  kneeling  at  the  edge, 
with  his  rifle  at  "  ready,"  gazing  steadily  toward  a 
clump  of  willows  at  the  stream  bed,  some  five  hundred 
feet  away,  listening  so  intently  that  the  officer  halted, 


112     TONIO,  SON   OF  THE  SIERRAS 

rather  than  mortify  him  by  coming  on  his  post  un 
challenged.  The  brilliant  moonlight  made  surrounding 
objects  almost  as  light  as  day,  and  Bonner  could  see 
nothing  unusual  or  unfamiliar  along  the  sandy  flat  to 
the  east.  So,  finally,  he  struck  his  scabbard  against  a 
rock  by  way  of  attracting  Number  Five's  attention,  and 
instantly  the  challenge  came. 

"  What  was  the  matter,  Five  V9  asked  Bonner,  after 
being  advanced  and  recognized,  and  the  answer  threw 
little  light  upon  the  subject. 

"  I  wish  I  knew,  sir,  but  there  was  some  one — crying 
— down  there  in  the  bush — not  five  minutes  ago." 

"  Crying !  Your're  crazy,  Kerrigan !" 

"  That's  what  I  said,  sir,  when  first  I  heard  it,  but — 
whist  now !" 

Both  men  bent  their  ears — the  veteran  sentry,  the 
veteran  company  commander.  Both  had  spent  years  in 
service,  in  the  South  in  the  war  days,  in  the  West  ever 
since,  and  neither  was  easily  alarmed. 

As  sure  as  they  stood  there  somebody  was  sobbing — 
a  low,  heart-breaking,  half-stifled  sound,  down  there 
somewhere  among  the  willows,  that  for  two  hundred 
yards,  at  least,  lined  the  stream.  "  Come  with  me," 
said  the  captain  instantly,  and  together  the  two  went 
plunging  down  the  sandy  slope  and  out  over  the  flats 
beneath,  and  into  the  shadows  at  the  brink,  and  up  and 
down  the  low  bank  between  the  fords,  and  not  a  living 
being  could  they  find. 

"  What  first  caught  your  ear  ?"  asked  Bonner,  as  to 
gether,  finally,  they  came  plodding  back. 

"  Sure,  I  heard  the  captain  come  out  on  his  side  porch 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS     113 

for  a  drink  at  the  olla,  sir,  and  saw  him  step  over  and 
look  at  the  doctor's  place  before  starting  for  the  guard 
house,  and  I  knew  he'd  be  around  this  way  and  was 
thinking  to  meet  him  up  yonder  where  Number  Four  is, 
when  I  heard  Six  down  here  whistling  to  me,  and  when 
I  went  Six  said  as  how  the  dogs  way  over  at  the  store 
was  barking  a  lot,  and  he  said  had  I  seen  or  heard  any 
thing  in  the  willows — he's  that  young  fellow  that  'listed 
back  at  Wickenburg  after  the  stage  holdup — and  while 
we  was  talkin'  he  grabbed  me  and  said,  '  Listen !  There's 
Indians  out  on  the  bluff!  I  heard  'em  singing.'  I 
told  him  he  was  scared,  but  when  I  came  back  along 
the  bank  I  could  have  sworn  I  saw  something  go  flashing 
into  the  willows  from  this  side,  an'  then  came  the  cryin', 
and  then  you,  sir." 

Bonner  turned  straightway  to  his  own  quarters,  to  the 
side  porch  at  the  doctor's — and  'Tonio  was  gone.  Peer 
ing  within  the  open  doorway,  he  saw  the  attendant 
nodding  in  his  chair  by  the  little  table  where  dimly 
burned  the  nightlamp,  close  to  the  cot  where  Harris  lay 
in  feverish  slumber.  Next,  the  captain  started  for  the 
post  of  Number  Six,  near  the  south-east  corner  of  the 
rectangle,  and  there  was  the  corporal  and  the  relief,  just 
marching  away  with  "  the  young  feller  that  'listed  in 
Wickenburg."  A  new  sentry,  another  old  soldier,  had 
taken  his  place.  There  was  nothing  to  do  but  tell  him 
to  keep  a  sharp  lookout  and  report  anything  strange  he 
saw  or  heard,  particularly  to  be  on  lookout  for  'Tonio. 
Then  he  pushed  on  after  the  relief,  and  then,  catching 
sight  of  the  lights  at  the  trader's,  strode  briskly  over 
there  and  stopped  a  few  minutes,  asking  himself  should 


114     TONIO,  SON  OF   THE  SIERRAS 

he  tell  Willett  what  had  been  heard,  and  incidentally 
to  watch  the  game.  Willett,  however,  was  engrossed. 
His  eyes  were  dilated  and  his  cheeks  were  flushed,  albeit 
his  demeanor  was  almost  affectedly  cool  and  nonchalant, 
and  Bonner  had  not  been  there  five  minutes  before  a 
queer  thing  happened.  Willett,  playing  in  remarkable 
luck,  had  raised  heavily  before  the  draw.  Case,  with 
unsteady  hand,  had  shoved  forward  an  equal  stack.  The 
prospector  and  Craney  shook  their  heads  and  dropped 
out.  Only  three  were  playing  when  Willett,  dealing, 
helped  the  cards  according  to  their  demands,  and  for 
himself  "  stood  pat."  It  was  too  much  for  the  brother- 
in-law,  but  the  bookkeeper,  who  had  been  playing  mainly 
against  Willett,  and  apparently  foolishly,  now  just  as 
foolishly  bet  his  little  stack,  for  without  a  second's  hesi 
tation  Willett  raised  him  seventy-five  dollars.  It  was 
a  play  calculated  to  drive  out  a  small-salaried  clerk.  It 
was  neither  a  generous  nor  a  gentleman's  play.  It  was, 
moreover,  the  highest  play  yet  seen  at  Almy,  where  men 
were  of  only  moderate  means.  Even  Craney  looked 
troubled,  and  Watts  and  the  prospector  exchanged 
murmured  remonstrance.  Then  all  were  amazed  when 
Case  drew  forth  a  flat  wallet  from  an  inner  pocket, 
tossed  it  on  the  table,  and  simply  said,  "  See — and 
raise  you." 

Now  there  was  audible  word  of  warning.  Watts 
looked  as  though  he  wished  to  interpose,  but  was  checked 
instantly  by  Case  himself.  "  Been  saving  that  for — 
funer'l  expenses/'  said  he  doggedly,  "but  I'm  backin' 
this  hand  for  double  what's  in  that." 

Craney  lifted  the  pallet,  shook  it,  and  three  fif ty-dol- 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS     115 

lar  bills  fluttered  out  upon  the  table.  Willett  looked 
steadily  at  Case  one  moment  before  he  spoke : 

"  Isn't  this  a  trine  high  for  a  gentleman's  game  ?" 
said  he. 

"  That's  what  they  said  at  Vancouver,  two  years  ago, 
when  you  bluffed  out  that  young  banker's  son." 

Willett  half  rose  from  his  chair.  "  I  thought  I'd  seen 
your  face  before,"  said  he. 

"  What  I  want  to  know,"  said  the  bookkeeper  in 
stantly,  all  deference  to  rank  or  station  vanished  from 
tone  and  manner,  "  is,  do  you  see  my  raise  now  ?  " 

There  was  a  moment's  silence,  during  which  no  man 
present  seemed  to  breathe.  Then  slowly  Willett  spoke : 

"  No,  a  straight  isn't  worth  it."  Whereupon  there 
was  a  moment  of  embarrassed  silence  as  the  stakes  were 
swept  across  the  blanket-covered  table,  then  a  guffaw  of 
rejoiceful  mirth  from  the  prospector.  Case,  as  though 
carelessly,  threw  down  his  cards,  face  upwards,  and 
there  was  not  so  much  as  a  single  pair. 

"  The  drinks  are  on  me,  oh,  yes,"  said  he,  "  but  the 
joke's  on  the  lieutenant." 

Yet  when  Bonner  left,  five  minutes  later  and  the 
game  again  was  going  on,  there  was  no  mirth  in  it.  Nor 
was  there  mirth  when  the  sun  came  peeping  over  the 
eastward  range  this  cloudless  Sabbath  morning,  shaming 
the  bleary  night  lights  at  the  store — the  bleary  eyes  at 
the  table.  Bonner  found  them  at  it  still  an  hour  after 
reveille,  and  ventured  to  lay  a  hand  on  Willett' s 
shoulder.  "  Can  I  speak  with  you  a  moment  ?  "  he 
said. 

Willett  rose  unsteadily,  but  with  dignity  unshaken  by 


116     TONIO,  SON   OF  THE   SIERRAS 

change  of  fortune.     He  had  lost  as  heavily,  by  this 
time,  as  earlier  he  had  won. 

1  May  I  be  pardoned  for  suggesting  that  you  would 
be  wise  to  get  out  of  this  and — a  few  hours7  sleep  ?  The 
general  is  up  and  worried.  'Tonio  is  gone !" 


OHAPTEE  XI. 

THE  fact  that  the  post  was  cut  off  from  the  rest  0- 
the  world,  that  neither  runner  from  the  field  columns, 
courier  from  Prescott,  nor  mail  rider  from  McDowell 
had  succeeded  in  getting  in,  while  'Tonio,  head  trailer, 
had  easily  succeeded  in  getting  out,  was  a  combina 
tion  calculated  to  promote  serious  reflection  on  part 
of  the  garrison  this  ideal  Sunday  morning.  Perhaps 
it  did,  but  so  far  as  talk  was  concerned  a  very  different 
fact  ruled  as  first  favorite.  It  was  known  all  over 
the  barracks  by  breakfast  time  that  Case,  the  book 
keeper,  had  bluffed  out  the  young  swell  from  the  Co 
lumbia  who  had  come  down  to  teach  them  how  to 
play  poker  and  fight  Apaches.  "  Willett  stock"  among 
the  rank  and  file  had  not  been  too  high  at  the  start,  had 
been  sinking  fast  since  the  affair  at  Bennett's  Eanch, 
and  was  a  drug  in  the  market  when  the  command,  as 
was  then  the  custom  of  the  little  army,  turned  out  for 
inspection  under  arms,  while  Willett  was  turning  in 
for  a  needed  nap.  Strong,  his  official  host,  knew  in 
stinctively  where  Willett  must  be,  when  he  tumbled 
up  to  receive  the  reports  at  morning  roll  call  and  found 
the  spare  bed  untouched.  He  said  nothing,  of  course, 
even  at  guard  mounting,  when,  together,  he  and  Cap 
tain  Bonner  walked  over  to  the  office,  where  sat  the 
post  commander  anxiously  awaiting  them.  It  seems  that 


118      TONIO,  SON   OF   THE  SIERRAS 

even  after  Bonner's  friendly  hint  the  game  had  not 
ceased  at  once.  Willett  had  played  on  another  hour 
in  hopes  that  luck  would  change,  but  by  seven  Craney 
called  a  halt,  said  that  he  and  Watts  must  quit,  and 
intimated  that  Willett  ought  to.  Case,  though  well 
along  in  liquor,  still  kept  his  head  and  lead,  and  would 
have  played,  but  by  this  time  Willett  was  writing 
I.O.U.'s.  The  prospector's  cash  was  gone.  The  hitherto 
modest,  retiring,  silent  man  of  the  desk  and  ledgers 
had  won  heavily  from  the  officer,  yet  only  a  trifle  from 
his  employers,  and  Craney  suggested  a  recess  until 
night.  "  Then  we'll  meet  again — and  settle,"  said  Wil 
lett,  half  extending  his  hand. 

"  You  bet  we'll  settle,"  said  Case,  the  bookkeeper, 
wholly  ignoring  it,  and  even  then  the  fact  was  noted 
and  thereafter  remembered-. 

"  I  think  I  won't  go  up  to  the  post  just  now,"  said 
Willett  to  Craney.  "  Perhaps  you  have " 

"  Certainly,  Mr.  Willett.  Come  right  in  here,"  said 
the  trader  hospitably,  leading  the  way  into  a  darkened 
room.  "  Take  a  good  nap ;  sleep  as  long  as  you  want 
to.  I'll  send  you  in  a  tub  if  you  like."  The  tub  was 
gratefully  accepted,  and  then  they  left  him.  At  noon 
when  the  general  asked  Strong  if  Willett  "  wasn't  feel 
ing  well,"  Strong  said  Willett  had  been  up  late  and  was 
probably  still  asleep.  Bonner,  it  was  known,  had  not 
turned  in  again  after  two  o'clock,  and  the  discovery 
that  'Tonio  was  missing.  He  was  dozing  on  the  porch 
in  his  easy-chair  when  first  call  sounded  for  reveille, 
and  Lilian,  like  gentle-hearted  Amelia,  lay  dreaming 
of  her  wearied  knight  as  having  kept  vigil  with  the  sen- 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS     119 

tries  to  the  break  of  day  that  she  and  those  she  loved 
might  sleep  in  security,  and  now,  of  course,  he  must 
indeed  be  wearied. 

Therefore  there  came  a  surprise  to  her,  and  to  the 
fond  and  watchful  mother,  when  toward  four  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon  Mrs.  Stannard  dropped  in  to  chat  with 
them  awhile,  and  to  tell  about  Harris,  by  whose  bedside 
she  had  been  sitting  and  reading  for  nearly  two  hours. 
Mrs.  Archer  welcomed  the  news.  The  doctor  had  prom 
ised  to  let  her  know  as  soon  as  he  considered  it  wise  for 
her  to  go,  and  the  general  was  so  anxious  and  disturbed 
on  Mr.  Harris's  account.  It  so  happened  that  the  gen 
eral,  with  a  small  escort,  had  ridden  over  to  search  the 
valley  with  glasses  from  the  peak,  and  then  the  first 
thing  Mrs.  Stannard  said  was,  "  I  thought  that  Mr. 
iWillett  might  have  been  glad  to  go  with  the  general." 

"  And  did  he  not  ?  "  asked  Mrs.  Archer,  after  one 
quick  glance  at  Lilian's  averted  eyes. 

«  Why,  no,"  and  now  Mrs.  Stannard  hesitated ;  "  I 
saw,  at  least  I  think  I  saw,  him  coming  up  from  the 
river  a  little  while  ago.  He  may  have  been  following 
'Tonio's  trail,  you  know.  It  was  easy  enough  in  the 
sand,  they  said,  but  once  it  reached  the  rocks  along 
the  stream-bed  they  lost  it."  Then  wisely  Mrs.  Stan 
nard  changed  the  subject. 

But  if  she  and  they  knew  not  where  and  how  Wil- 
lett  had  spent  the  night  and  hours  of  the  day,  they  and 
Harris,  by  this  time,  were  the  only  ones  at  Almy  in 
such  ignorance.  Moreover,  Almy  was  having  a  lot  of 
fun  out  of  it.  No  one  had  ever  heard  of  Case's  play 
ing  before  in  all  the  time  he  had  silently,  unobtrusively, 


120      TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS 

gone  about  his  daily  doings  at  the  post.  Three  weeks 
out  of  four  he  sat  over  the  books  and  accounts,  or  some 
writing  of  his  own,  saying  nothing  to  anybody  unless 
addressed,  then  answering  civilly,  but  in  few  words. 
The  other  week,  just  as  quietly  and  unobtrusively,  he 
was  apt  to  be  busy  with  his  bottle,  sometimes  in  the  soli 
tude  of  his  little  room,  sometimes  wandering  by  night 
down  along  the  stream,  sometimes  stealing  out  to  the 
herds,  petting  and  crooning  to  the  horses,  sometimes 
slyly  tendering  the  herd  guard  a  drink,  and  always 
accompanied  by  a  pack  of  the  hounds,  for  by  them  he 
was  held  in  reverence  and  esteem.  He  never  accosted 
anybody,  never  even  complained  when  a  godless  brace  of 
soldier  roughs  robbed  him  of  his  bottle  as  he  lay  half- 
dozing  to  the  lullaby  of  the  babbling  stream.  He  sim 
ply  meandered  a  mile  and  got  another. 

From  this  plane  of  inoffensive  obscurity  Case  had 
sprung  in  one  night  to  fame  and,  almost,  to  fortune. 
A  single  field  had  turned  the  chance  of  war,  and  the 
placid  Sunday  found  him  the  most  talked  of  man  at 
the  post.  Rumor  had  it  that  he  had  quit  five  hundred 
dollars  ahead  of  the  game,  and  the  most  conservative 
estimate  could  not  reduce  it  more  than  half.  For  the 
first  time  Camp  Almy  awoke  to  the  conclusion  that  an 
experienced  gambler  was  in  their  midst — one  who  had 
spared  the  soldier  and  his  scanty  pay  that  he  might 
feed  fat,  eventually,  on  the  officer.  Rumor  had  it  that 
Case's  trunk  contained  a  roulette  wheel  and  faro  "  lay 
out."  In  fine,  long  before  orderly  call  at  noon,  in  the 
whimsical  humor  of  the  garrison,  he  was  no  longer 
Case,  the  bookkeeper,  but  "Book,  the  Case  Keeper/' 


TONIO,  SON    OF   THE   SIERRAS     121 

and  every  frontiersman,  civil  or  military,  in  those  days 
knew  what  that  meant. 

And  even  as  they  exalted  Case,  who  toward  after 
noon  had  disappeared  from  public  gaze,  refusing  to 
be  lionized,  so  would  they  have  abased  Willett,  who 
likewise  had  concealed  himself,  on  the  plea  of  needed 
sleep,  yet  had  done  but  little  sleeping.  Willett  was 
haunted  by  a  memory,  and  not  pleasantly.  The  fact 
that  he  had  lost  over  a  month's  pay  troubled  him  less 
by  far  than  that  he  had  lost  repute.  He  had  suffered 
much  in  pocket,  but  more  in  prestige.  He  had  been  a 
successful  player  in  the  Columbia  country,  too  much  so 
for  the  good  of  scores  of  comrades,  but  especially  him 
self.  He  could  have  found  it  in  his  heart  to  throttle 
that  guffawing  clown,  whose  rude  bellow  of  rejoicing 
over  Case's  brilliant  bluff  and  his  own  defeat,  had 
brought  even  the  dago  and  his  fellows  in  staring  won 
derment  to  the  open  door.  He  would  have  pledged 
another  month's  pay  could  he  have  throttled  the  story 
he  knew  now  would  be  going  the  rounds.  He  was  even 
more  humiliated — far  more — than  they  knew.  They 
all  would  have  shouted  had  they  seen  the  hand  he  laid 
down,  but  he  had  striven  to  carry  it  off  jocosely,  to  say 
lie  had  only  been  bluffing,  and  was  very  properly  caught 
at  his  own  game.  Oh,  he  had  shown  a  game,  sports 
man-like  front,  and  had  striven  to  pass  it  all  off  as  a 
matter  that  worried  him  not  in  the  least,  but  Craney, 
clear-headed,  believed  otherwise,  and  Case,  muddle- 
headed  as  he  was  by  noon,  knew  better,  and  had  his 
reasons  for  knowing — reasons  as  potent  as  were  those 


122     TONIO,  SON   OF  THE  SIERRAS 

that  moved  him  wholly  to  ignore  Willett's  half-prof 
fered  hand. 

Case  had  nothing  in  particular  to  do  all  day,  and 
could  sleep  if  so  minded.  Willett,  not  knowing  what 
moment  he  might  be  called  upon  to  take  active  part 
in  stirring  service,  should  sleep,  and  so  prepare  himself, 
yet  could  not.  Case's  personality,  and  Case's  one  refer 
ence  to  Vancouver,  two  years  previous,  haunted  and 
vexed  him  sorely.  Where  and  under  what  circum 
stances  had  he  seen  the  man?  Only  for  three  weeks 
had  he  been  at  the  fine  old  post  referred  to,  while  a 
big  court-martial  was  there  in  session,  and  he,  with 
other  subalterns,  had  come  as  witnesses.  There  had 
been  dinners  and  dancing  and  fun  and  flirtation,  both 
at  the  post  and  in  Portland.  There  had  been  card-play* 
ing  in  which  he  was  easy  winner,  and  not  a  little  of 
his  winnings  had  gone  for  wine.  There  had  been  fool 
ish  things  said  in  pink  little  ears,  and  even  written  in 
silly  missives  that  now  he  would  have  been  glad  to  recall, 
but — but  no  harm  to  him  as  yet  had  come  from  them. 
There  had  even  been  a  girl  whom  he  had  never  seen 
before  nor  since  that  visit,  nor  wanted  to  see  again, 
nor  hear  from,  yet  from  her  he  had  heard,  and  more 
than  once — piteous,  imploring  little  letters  they  were. 
But,  heavens !  he  was  busy  hunting  Indians  when  they 
began  to  come,  and  then  they  had  ceased  to  find  him, 
rather  to  his  relief,  but  none  of  these  episodes  or  epis 
tles  in  any  way  included  Case,  yet  somewhere  he  had 
seen  him,  somewhere  he  had  heard  his  voice,  and  some 
where  Case  had  marked  his  method  of  play.  Case  said 
Vancouver,  but  though  two  or  three  steep  games  had 


TONIO,  SON   OF   THE  SIERRAS     123 

there  or  thereabouts  occurred — games  in  which  his  sol 
dier  comrades  had  withdrawn  as  too  big  for  them — 
he,  with  his  luck  and  brilliancy,  had  dared  to  pursue 
to  the  end  and  came  out  envied  as  a  winner.  And  still 
this  did  not  seem  to  point  to  Case. 

"Not  two  hours'  sleep  did  Willett  get  that  Sunday 
morning.  He  was  awake,  hot,  feverish,  and  athirst 
at  noon,  craving  ice,  which  could  be  seen  in  the  moun 
tains  only  a  day's  march  away,  but  had  never  yet  been 
made  to  last  through  the  homeward  journey.  Craney 
brought  him  a  cool  and  dripping  canteen  and  some 
acetic  acid,  the  best  he  could  do,  and  had  proffered  bot 
tled  beer,  cooled  in  the  big  olla  and  retailed  at  fifty 
cents,  but  Willett  sought  information  rather  than  sleep, 
and  indirectly  inquired  as  to  Case's  antecedents.  In- 
ferentially,  he  wished  Craney  to  understand  that  he 
believed  Case  to  be  a  professional,  and  Craney  blamable 
for  permitting  him  to  play.  Craney  saw  the  move  and 
checkmated  at  once.  "  Case  has  had  dozens  of  chances 
to  play — dozens  of  'em — since  I  brought  him  here  from 
Prescott,  and  never  before  has  he  sat  into  anything 
bigger'n  a  dollar  limit.  He  never  would  play  in  the 
other  room.  He  came  out  as  quartermaster's  clerk, 
nearly  two  years  ago.  With  whom?  Why,  Major 
Ballard  brought  him  out  and  had  to  turn  him  loose  for 
drinking.  No,  Ballard  was  never  at  Vancouver.  Then 
my  bookkeeper  got  shot  in  a  pay-day  row  and  left  the 
books  in  a  muddle.  I  had  to  hire  Case  to  come  and 
balance  them — best  accountant  and  bookkeeper  I  ever 
had — square  to  the  marrow,  though  he  wants  one  week 
off  a  month,  and  is  absolutely  stalwart  t'other  three, 


124     TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS 

but  lie  will  not  talk  of  his  past.  Ballard  told  me  lie 
came  with  tiptop  letters  from  officers  of  rank  in  San 
Francisco,  who  said  he  was  incorruptible,  even  when  he 
drank,  whereas  mj  clerk,  who  had  been  a  model  of 
sobriety,  robbed  right  and  left.  Case  has  gone  off  now, 
somewhere  down  among  the  willows,  I  reckon.  He'll 
be  drunk  for  three  days,  sobering  three  days,  and 
straight  the  seventh.  If  you  hadn't  started  him  last 
night  he'd  be  sober  now.  And  if  you  hadn't  come  into 
it  that  family  game  would  have  stopped  at  one,  with 
nobody  the  worse  nor  wiser.  You  said  you  had  no  use 
for  a  dollar  limit  game." 

There  was  no  comfort,  therefore,  in  Craney's  visit. 
Willett  took  another  cool  bath,  dressed  about  two,  and 
being  shown  the  path  Case  generally  followed,  saun 
tered  away,  quite  as  though  he  had  nothing  on  his  mind, 
and  was  presently  lost  beyond  that  same  willowy  screen. 
He  at  that  time,  at  least,  was  not  thinking  of  'Tonio 
and  the  lost  trail. 

At  five  the  general,  with  Strong  and  Bonner,  could 
be  made  out  four  miles  away,  riding  back  from  the 
peak.  "  I'll  go  a  moment  and  inquire  for  Mr.  Harris," 
said  Mrs.  Archer,  "  and  ask  the  doctor  when  we  may 
visit  him."  So,  leaving  Lilian  with  Mrs.  Stannard, 
and  intending  to  be  gone  but  a  few  minutes,  the  gentle, 
anxious-hearted  woman,  sunshade  in  hand,  went  forth 
from  the  shelter  of  the  low  veranda  into  the  slanting, 
unclouded  rays,  and  presently  tapped  lightly  at  the 
doctor's  open  door.  There  was  no  answer,  yet  from 
somewhere  within  came  sound  of  masculine  voices. 
Entering  the  dark  hall,  she  tapped  again  at  the  entrance 


TONIO,  SON  OF   THE   SIERRAS     125 

to  the  doctor's  sitting-room,  or  den.  A  Navajo  blanket 
hung  like  a  portiere  across  the  open  space,  for  door  there 
was  none,  and,  as  no  one  came  in  answer  to  her  modest 
signal,  she  ventured  to  push  the  curtain  a  bit  to  one 
side  and  peer  within.  The  room  was  but  dimly  lighted, 
all  windows  but  one  on  the  north  side  being  heavily 
draped.  The  doctor's  reclining  chair  and  reading  table, 
the  latter  littered  with  books,  pamphlets  and  pipes,  were 
visible  through  a  reminiscent  haze  of  not  too  fragrant 
tobacco  smoke,  for  the  old  predominated  over  the  new. 
A  rude  sideboard  stood  over  against  her,  between  the 
northward  windows,  and  thereon  was  stationed  a  demi 
john  of  goodly  proportions,  with  outlying  pickets  in  the 
way  of  glasses.  Bentley  himself,  though  one  of  the 
old  school,  was  an  abstemious  man,  and  therefore  en 
abled  to  have  at  all  times  a  supply  of  reliable  stimulant 
for  such  of  his  callers  as  were  of  opposite  faith.  That 
some  of  that  ilk  had  recently  favored  him  was  pre 
sumptively  evident,  no  more  by  the  sideboard  display 
than  by  the  sound  of  voices  from  an  inner  room,  where 
two  or  three  were  uplifted  in  discussion,  and  neither 
was  the  doctor's. 

E"ow,  Mrs.  Archer  much  wished  to  see  young  Harris, 
to  assure  him  of  their  deep  interest  in  his  welfare,  of 
their  desire  to  be  of  service  to  him,  and  their  reason 
for  not  earlier  intruding.  Gentle  and  unselfish  though 
she  was,  there  was  distinct  sense  of  chagrin  that  Mrs. 
Stannard,  or  any  woman,  should  have  anticipated  her 
coming.  The  doctor  had  promised  to  say  just  how  soon 
he  could  approve  her  seeing  his  patient,  and  it  was  the 
doctor's  fault  she  had  come  no  sooner.  Not  until  days 


126     TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

thereafter  did  she  know  that  Harris  had  asked  for  Mrs. 
Stannard.  Not  for  even  a  Christmas  home-going  would 
Mrs.  Stannard  have  let  her  know  it — but  Mrs.  Stan- 
nard  was  a  rare,  rare  woman. 

But  if  the  doctor  thought  it  unwise  that  his  patient 
should  receive  the  visits  of  ministering  angels  such  as 
she  and  they,  what,  said  Mrs.  Archer  to  her  stupefied 
self,  could  Dr.  Bentley  mean  by  permitting  the  visits 
of  such  disturbers  as  these  whose  angering  words  came 
distinctly  to  her  ears?  She  stood,  half-dazed,  unable 
for  a  moment  to  determine  what  to  do — whether  to 
enter  at  once — enter,  and  in  the  name  of  her  husband, 
the  commanding  officer,  enter  emphatic  protest  against 
such  exciting  language  at  such  a  time,  in  such  a  pres 
ence — or  whether  to  retire  at  once  and  hear  no  more 
of  it.  One  voice,  at  the  moment  low  and  guarded,  was 
that  of  a  stranger — she  had  never  heard  it  before.  The 
other,  however,  she  knew  instantly  as  that  of  Harold 
Willett.  No  wonder  she  stood  amazed,  never  doubting 
they  were  addressed  to  Harris,  at  the  first  words — 
Willett's  words — to  reach  her  ears ! 

"  You  are  in  no  condition  now  to  talk  to  a  gentle 
man,  and  I  refuse  to  listen.  You  came  here  to  lie  about 
me — to  undermine  me,  and  I  know  it,  and  the  quicker 
you  go — 

"  I  came  here  to  speak  God's  truth  and  you  know  it !  " 
came  the  instant  answer,  and  in  instant  relief  she  knew 
it  was  not  the  voice  of  Harris.  "  As  to  undermining 
— by  God,  it's  to  block  your  undermining  another  and 
a  better  man  I've  come !  If  that  isn't  enough  for  you 


TONIO,  SON  OF   THE   SIERRAS     127 

— to  block  your  doing  here — what  you  did  to  that  poor 

girl  at  Portland " 

But  a  rush  and  a  scuffle,  the  sound  of  a  blow,  broke 
in  upon  the  words,  just  as  the  attendant,  affrighted, 
came  running  out,  just  as  Dr.  Bentley,  astounded  and 
indignant,  came  hurrying  in.  Mrs.  Archer,  in  bewil 
derment,  fell  back  into  the  sunshine,  only  presently  to 
see  Willett,  flushed  and  furious,  hasten  forth  from  the 
rear  door  and  turn  straightway  to  the  adjutant's  quar 
ters  adjoining — only  to  be  overtaken  in  a  moment  by 
the  attendant,  panting :  "  The  doctor  said  would  Mrs. 
Archer  please  come  back  one  minute,  he'd  like  to  speak 
with  her."  And  Mrs.  Archer  turned  again  and  went. 


CHAPTEK    XII. 

TEN  minutes  later,  when  the  general  and  his  little 
escort  came  dustily  into  the  garrison,  his  first  question 
on  dismounting  was  for  Willett,  and  it  was  Lilian  who 
had  to  answer  that  she  believed  he  was  at  Mr.  Strong's. 
So  thither,  with  but  brief,  though  kindly,  word  with 
Mrs.  Stannard,  and  as  brief  an  expression  of  his  satis 
faction  that  Mrs.  Archer  had  gone  to  see  Harris,  the 
veteran  took  his  way.  The  horses  were  led  to  stables. 
The  other  officers,  hastening  homeward,  bowing  in  hur 
ried,  perfunctory  fashion  to  the  ladies,  turned  again  at 
sound  of  his  voice,  and  all  three  together  entered  the 
adjutant's  house,  an  orderly  remaining  at  the  door.  Lil 
ian  looked  anxiously  after  them  and  Mrs.  Stannard 
inquiringly.  "  They  have  seen  something,  I  know," 
said  the  girl,  "  and  something  father  is  puzzled  about. 
He  would  not  have  come  and  gone  without  a  kiss." 
Already  Mrs.  Stannard  had  noted  his  fond  custom,  had 
marked  its  omission  now  when,  ever  since  luncheon, 
he  had  been  away,  and  she,  too,  divined  that  he  was 
preoccupied,  even  perplexed.  But  once  already  she 
had  too  quickly  spoken  her  thoughts,  and  there  must  be 
no  more  of  that.  In  three  minutes  the  little  party  came 
forth  again,  Willett  with  them  now,  and,  field-glasses 
in  hand,  away  they  strode  to  the  northward  edge  of  the 
plateau  and  went  speedily  along  toward  a  point  at  the 


TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS     129 

back  of  the  hospital  where  there  stood  a  little  platform, 
railed  about  with  untrimmed  pine,  a  rustic  lookout 
much  affected  by  the  men  in  the  long  evenings,  but  sel 
dom  visited  when  the  sun  was  up.  It  took  no  time  at 
all  for  half  the  remaining  garrison  to  turn  out  and,  at 
respectful  distance,  stand  curiously  watching  them,  and 
little  more  for  the  other  half  to  come  nocking  out  of 
doors.  "  Seen  somethin'  from  way  up  on  the  Picacho," 
explained  the  orderly,  as  he  jogged  by  with  the  heated 
horses,  "  an7  came  back  akiting !  " 

Two  minutes  more  and  the  adjutant,  Strong,  came 
running  from  the  platform.  "  Don't  unsaddle/'  he 
shouted.  "  Bring  those  horses  back  and  get  some  more ! 
Send  the  escort  up  here  at  once !  " 

The  officers  at  the  lookout  had  not  even  unslung  their 
pistol  belts,  and  Willett  now  was  seen  to  set  down  his 
binocular  and  start  away.  The  general  called  to  him 
and  he  half  turned  and  hurriedly  answered :  "  Back 
just  as  quick  as  I  can  get  my  Colt,  sir."  He  was  un 
fastening  his  blouse  at  the  throat  as  he  went,  and  even 
at  the  distance  men  could  see  how  hot  and  flushed  he 
looked,  while  the  others  seemed  so  hard,  "  tried  out " 
and  fit  for  anything.  Presently  the  half  dozen  horse 
men,  who  had  been  with  their  chief  to  the  Picacho, 
came  trotting  forth  from  the  corral,  followed  by  two  or 
three  led  horses.  Strong  mounted  the  first  to  reach  him 
and  sent  another  to  his  quarters  for  Lieutenant  Willett. 
Then  Captain  Bonner  came  strolling  back  as  though 
quite  unconcerned.  "  May  as  well  get  the  men  under 
arms,"  said  he  to  his  alert  first  sergeant,  and  away  went 
every  man  of  Company  "  C  "  on  a  run  for  the  barracks. 


130     TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS 

"  Needn't  wait  for  Willett,"  the  general  was  heard 
calling  to  Strong,  who,  with  a  little  party,  sat  in  saddle 
eagerly  awaiting  orders.  So  down  the  slope  they  went, 
just  as  the  doctor  and  Mrs.  Archer,  apprised  in  some 
way  of  the  excitement,  came  forth  and  saw  the  dust 
cloud  in  their  wake,  and  the  snorting  troop  horse  paw 
ing  the  sand  in  front  of  Strong's.  Old  Bucketts,  the 
quartermaster,  came  limping  up  the  line,  his  florid  fea 
tures  a  deeper  red,  and  all  he  could  tell  in  answer  to 
question  was,  "  They  see  something  beyond  the  Point. 
Who's  that  horse  for,  orderly  ?  " 

"  Loot'nt  Willett,  sir — said  he'd  be  out  in  a  minute." 

But  the  minutes  proved  long,  and  Bucketts  went  in 
to  help,  if  need  be,  and  to  get  information,  if  possible. 
Willett  had  kicked  off  his  fine  uniform  trousers  and 
ununiform  Oxfords,  and  was  cursing  the  striker  who 
had  hidden  his  scouting  rig.  "  Why  the  devil  didn't  you 
go  as  you  were?"  asked  Bucketts  unsympathetically. 
"  They're  raising  the  dust  far  as  the  ford  already. 
What's  up,  anyhow  ?  " 

"  Can't  tell !  Don't  know !  Nobody  knows !  They 
send  scouts  out — couriers  out — messengers  out,  and 
spend  hours  wishing  somebody' d  come  with  news,  and 
then  when  somebody's  seen  coming  get  rattled  and  send 
half  the  garrison  out  to  meet " 

But  suddenly  catching  sight  of  the  disapprobation  on 
his  caller's  face,  Willett  broke  off  short  ~No  wonder 
Buckett's  looked  astonished  at  such  language  from  a 
staff  officer.  Xor  was  that  veteran  questioner  long  in 
sizing  up  the  cause.  It  added  nothing  to  his  respect 
for  Willett,  and  not  a  little  to  his  concern.  He  knew 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS      131 

T}j  this  time,  as  did  almost  every  man  except  the  post 
commander,  how  and  where  Willett  spent  the  night  and 
morning — knew  that  he  had  left  the  store  only  an  hour 
or  so  previous,  as  though  to  follow  and  find  the  book 
keeper — knew  that  Case  had  been  drinking,  and  saw 
now  that  Willett  had  been  following  suit.  Without 
a  word  on  that  head,  or  another  question  as  to  the  causes 
of  the  excitement,  he  stumped  about  the  premises,  busy 
ing  himself  in  hunting  for  the  missing  items,  and  pres 
ently  found  them  hanging  under  a  calico  curtain  that 
Willett  had  already  nearly  torn  down  in  unsuccessful, 
unseeing  search.  "  Here  you  are,"  he  said,  tossing  the 
garments  on  the  bed.  "  Here's  your  pistol,  Colt's  44 ; 
every  chamber  loaded  and  ready  for  business.  You'll 
use  a  different  belt  when  you've  been  a  month  in  Ari 
zona — and  you'll  shed  top  boots  for  'Patchie  moccasins. 
Let  me  help  you,  Willett.  You're  a  bit  blown.  Here, 
douse  your  head  in  that — "  and  as  he  spoke  Bucketts 
half  filled  a  bowl  and  went  limping  out  to  the  olla  for 
more  and  cooler  water,  leaving  Willett  fussing  at  his 
riding  breeches  and  damning  Strong's  striker  for  being 
away  among  the  gaping,  staring,  empty-headed  gang 
at  the  bluif  at  the  moment  he  was  most  needed. 

Ai  Bucketts  was  lifting  the  vessel  from  the  cool 
depths  of  the  hanging  reservoir,  he  heard  his  name 
faintly  called,  and  there,  at  the  side  door  of  the  doc 
tor's  quarters,  pale  and  suffering,  barefooted  and  man 
tled  with  a  sheet,  his  arm  and  shoulder  bandaged,  stood 
Harris. 

"  Tell  Willett  to  come  out/'  he  said.  "  I  must  see 
him  before  he  goes." 


132     TONIO,  SON   OF   THE  SIERRAS 

"  You  go  back  to  bed.  I'll  tell  him,"  but  Harris 
stood  his  ground  despite  the  fact  that  the  attendant 
had  laid  a  hand  upon  his  unbound  shoulder,  and  was 
begging  him  to  return.  Bucketts  set  the  pitcher  inside 
the  door.  "Here's  cooler  water,  Willett,"  he  said, 
"  and  here's  Harris  at  the  door — says  he  must  see  you 
before  you  start." 

Then,  without  waiting  for  answer,  the  quartermaster 
hurried  along  the  path  to  the  front  in  search  of  the 
doctor ;  saw  him  far  over  back  of  the  hospital,  heading 
for  the  platform ;  saw  Mrs.  Archer,  on  her  own  veranda 
by  this  time,  in  eager  talk  with  Mrs.  Stannard,  and 
Lilian  drooping  at  the  corner  pillar;  hurried  back  to 
get  his  stick  and  to  further  rebuke  Harris,  when,  afar 
down  to  the  south-east  came  the  sound  of  a  shot,  half- 
muffled  by  distance,  and,  gazing  from  the  rear  end  of 
the  little  gallery,  he  saw,  a  mile  or  more  away  across 
the  stream  and  skirting  the  willows,  two  horsemen  com 
ing  at  top  speed;  saw,  emerging  from  the  willows  at 
the  near  side  of  the  ford,  a  man  who  walked  heavily 
through  the  yielding  sand,  holding  his  hand  to  his  face. 
He,  too,  had  heard  the  shot  and  was  making,  'cross  lots, 
for  home.  It  was  Case,  the  bookkeeper,  disturbed,  per 
haps,  said  Bucketts,  in  his  siesta  among  the  willows 
and  doing  his  best  to  gain  shelter.  Before  Case  could 
get  a  fourth  of  the  way  across  the  barren  flat,  tacking 
perceptibly  among  the  cactus  and  grease  wood,  the 
riders  burst  in  sight  again  and  went  lashing  away  to 
the  store — two  ranchmen  or  prospectors,  said  Bucketts, 
and  they've  been  having  the  time  of  their  life  getting 
in.  'Tonio  said  the  Tontos  were  all  about  them,  and 


TONIO,  SON   OF  THE   SIERRAS     133 

here  was  additional  proof.  The  last  Bucketts  saw  of 
Case  he  was  lurching  on  toward  the  store,  but,  just  then, 
buttoning  his  riding  jacket  and  girding  on  his  revolver 
belt,  out  came  Willett. 

"  Well,  what  is  it  ?  "  was  his  brief,  almost  sullen 
question.  And  then  came  his  classmate's  answer- 
one  that  Bucketts  long  remembered. 

"  You  are  going  up  the  valley,  I  take  it,  and  there 
is  an  alarm  of  some  kind.  Now,  Willett,  remember 
this:  no  matter  what  you  have  seen  or  suspect,  the 
Apache-Mohaves  had  no  part  in  the  devil's  work  at 
Bennett's.  I  have  'Tonio's  word  for  it,  and  will  bring 
proofs." 

"  Damn  'Tonio's  word !  He's  a  renegade  and  a  de 
serter  himself!  He's  playing  a  deep,  double  game,  and 
you  yourself  suspected  it  three  days  ago.  Now  he's 
proved  it.  I've  no  time  to  talk."  And  impatiently 
he  turned  away  and  sprang  for  his  horse.  A  moment 
more  and  he  was  in  saddle,  had  set  spurs  to  his  excited 
mount,  and  then,  full  gallop,  went  tearing  to  the  edge 
of  the  mesa,  lifted  his  hat  in  salutation  to  the  general, 
and  dove  down  the  slope,  across  the  lower  bench,  away 
through  an  upper  ford  of  the  sluggish  winter  stream, 
and  out  upon  the  sandy  flats  beyond. 

"  Bides  well,"  said  the  general,  looking  after  him. 

"Rides  very  well,"  said  the  surgeon,  looking  after 
Strong.  "  Can  you  see  anything  yet,  sir  ?  " 

"  Could  see  two  horses  ten  minutes  ago,  with  some 
running  figures  far  up  the  valley.  Can't  make  'em  out 
at  all.  Strong'll  fetch  'em— Strong  and  Willett.  Good 
stock  there,  doctor !  " 


134     TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS 

"  Tiptop,  where  Strong  is  concerned,"  said  the  doc 
tor  grimly.  The  events  of  the  earlier  afternoon  had 
tended  to  add  to  his  disapprobation  of  the  other. 
"  There's  something  up  at  the  store,  sir,  I  think,'7  he 
added,  with  a  swift  change  of  subject.  "  I  saw  men 
running  that  way  just  now.  Here  comes  Bucketts !  " 

And  Bucketts  came,  hobbling  sturdily.  "  It's  two 
ranchmen,  I  think,  and  there  was  a  shot  down  toward 
the  south-east  ten  minutes  ago." 

The  general  looked  back.  Down  in  front  of  the  log 
barracks  Bonner's  company,  in  fatigue  dress,  had 
formed  ranks,  and  the  sergeants  were  distributing  am 
munition.  Across  the  parade,  the  verandas  of  the  Mess 
and  office  buildings  were  deserted,  but  one  or  two  men 
stood  staring  toward  the  invisible  plant  of  the  trader. 
Close  at  hand,  near  the  hospital  and  again  lining  the 
edge  of  the  mesa,  a  score  of  yards  farther  to  the  left,  a 
number  of  soldiers  of  the  other  company  were  eagerly 
watching  developments.  Even  with  the  naked  eye,  two 
miles  or  more  up  the  valley,  Strong's  little  detachment, 
black  dots  of  skirmishers,  could  occasionally  be  sighted 
pushing  on  northward,  while,  at  heavy  gallop,  heading 
for  the  front,  Willett  was  still  in  plain  view;  but,  at 
the  moment,  nothing  could  be  seen  of  the  objects  that 
were  the  original  cause  of  the  excitement. 

From  the  Picacho,  it  seems,  both  Strong  and  Bonner 
had  made  out  through  their  glasses  two  tiny  black  dots 
in  the  direction  of  Bennett's  ruined  ranch,  coming 
slowly  toward  the  post,  but  still  five  or  six  miles  away. 
From  the  platform,  forty  minutes  later,  two  horsemen 
had  distinctly  been  seen  moving  swiftly  about,  close 


TONIO,  SON   OF  THE  SIERRAS     135 

to  the  willows  that  lined,  in  places,  the  rocky  stream 
bed.  More  than  this,  the  general  was  sure  he  had 
caught  sight  of  three  or  four  figures  afoot,  skipping 
actively  about  when  moving  at  all.  What  he  and  his 
advisers  believed  was  that  Sergeant  Woodrow  and  his 
comrades  were,  for  some  reason,  trying  to  make  their 
way  back  to  Almy  and  had  found  Apaches  barring  the 
way.  Therefore  had  Strong  and  his  little  party  been 
sent  forth  to  meet,  to  aid,  to  bring  them  in.  Therefore 
had  Willett,  of  his  own  motion  this  time,  and  without 
the  delegated  authority  he  bore  when  following  Harris, 
set  forth  at  speed  to  overtake  them,  forgetful,  in  the 
eagerness  of  the  moment  and  the  possible  over-excite 
ment  of  his  faculties,  that  he  had  promised  Archer  to 
be  back  just  as  soon  as  he'd  got  his  Colt — that  calibre 
44  Colt  now  belted  at  his  hip,  with  every  chamber 
loaded. 

And  now  as  the  eager  watchers  at  the  platform 
trained  their  glasses  on  the  distant  field,  Bucketts,  tak 
ing  up  the  handsome  binocular  left  by  the  aide-de-camp, 
had  time  to  notice  its  fine  silver  mounting  and  the 
engraved  "  H.  Willett,  U.  S.  A.,"  in  exactly  the  same 
script  as  that  which  adorned  the  revolver.  Then,  as  he 
adjusted  it  to  his  eyes,  it  occurred  to  him  to  tell  the 
doctor  of  Harris's  coming  to  the  side  door,  and  of  his 
most  earnest  language  and  manner,  whereat  the  gen 
eral  turned  sharply : 

"  What's  that  ?     Harris  said  no  Apache-Mohaves  ?  " 
"  "No   Apache-Mohaves    in   the    affair   at   Bennett's 
Eanch,  sir,  on  'Tonio's  authority,  and  Willett  scoffed 
at  both  statement  and  'Tonio." 


136     TONIO,  SON   OF  THE   SIERRAS 

"By  heaven,"  said  Archer,  "  'Tonio  was  right  in 
saying  we  were  cut  off,  isolated  here,  and  if  he  hadn't 
slipped  away  in  that  mysterious  fashion  I'd  rather  take 
his  word  than— than  Willett's  impressions.  Where  has 
Willett  been — all  morning — anyhow?  He  never  came 
near  me !  " 

Everybody  within  earshot  knew,  and  nobody  an 
swered.  Archer  looked  queerly  about  him.  Bonner 
and  Briggs  gazed  fixedly  through  their  glasses.  Buck- 
etts  was  absorbed  in  the  adjustment  of  his.  The  doc 
tor  said  he  must  go  over  and  give  Harris  a  rebuke  for 
getting  up,  and  started  forthwith,  and  Archer,  without 
further  question,  turned  again  to  his  survey.  He  was 
of  the  old  army — and  knew  the  signs. 

For  a  moment  every  living  object  up  the  valley 
seemed  to  be  shut  from  view.  Bonner,  by  way  of 
changing  the  subject,  had  so  far  "white-lied"  as  to 
exclaim  "  There  they  are  again ! — er — no,"  but  the  ruse 
was  unnecessary;  Archer  understood.  Almost  at  the 
moment,  however,  came  a  sound  from  the  open  win 
dows  of  the  matron's  room,  adjoining  the  hospital, 
against  which  all  present  would  willingly  have  closed 
their  ears — the  prolonged,  heart-breaking,  moaning  cry 
of  a  woman  robbed  of  all  she  held  dearest — poor  Mrs. 
Bennett  waking  once  more  to  her  direful  sorrows,  and 
filling  the  air  with  her  hopeless  wail.  For  a  moment 
it  dominated  all  other  sound.  "  For  heaven's  sake,  doc 
tor,"  cried  Archer  to  the  assistant,  "can't  you  and 
Bentley  devise  something  to  still  that  poor  creature? 
Has  she  lost  her  mind,  too  ?  " 


TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS     137 

"  Sounds  like  it,  sir.  There's  only  one  thing  that 
will  bring  it  back — that's  those  babies." 

"  If  anybody  can  get  'em  it  will  be  Stannard,"  an 
swered  the  general  prayerfully.  "  This,  whatever  it 
is,  up  the  valley  may  be  news  from  him  and  of  them ! 
God  grant  it !  " 

"  Look !  "  cried  Bonner  at  the  instant.  "  I  see  Wil- 
lett!  See  him? — galloping  up  that —  Why,  hell  and 
blazes — I  beg  your  pardon,  general — he's  'way  out  be 
yond  Strong's  people !  See  'em — down  there  by  the  wil 
lows  ?  Where  in —  Gad !  d'ye  see  that  ?  Why,  his 
horse  jumped  and  shied  as  if  he'd —  Look !  He's  run 
ning  away !  He's  gone !  " 

Gone  he  had.  Not  once  again,  before  the  going  down 
of  the  sun,  now  just  tangent  to  the  western  heights,  did 
they  catch  sight  of  Willett  or  Willett's  horse.  One 
after  another  the  watchers  again  found  Strong  within 
the  field  of  vision  and  followed  him  down  to  and  across 
the  stream,  and  others  of  the  mounted  party  were  seen, 
some  wearily  following  their  officer,  others  moving  about 
a  point  among  the  willows  where  last  had  been  seen  the 
two  strangers  whose  odd  movements  led  to  the  going 
forth  of  the  searching  party.  But  it  was  half  an  hour 
later,  and  light  was  growing  dim  in  the  valley,  while 
the  eastward  crests  of  the  Mogollon  were  all  ablaze, 
when  a  single  rider  was  made  out  coming  homeward 
at  speed.  It  was  dusk  at  Almy  when  his  panting  horse 
struggled  painfully  up  the  slope  and,  dismounting,  a 
weary  rider  saluted  the  post  commander  and  handed 
him  a  note.  By  this  time  Mrs.  Archer,  Mrs.  Stannard 
and  Lilian,  too,  were  on  the  platform,  and  the  mother's 


138     TONIO,  SON   OF  THE   SIERRAS 

arm  stole  instinctively  about  the  daughter's  slender 
waist,  while  every  eye  was  on  the  general  as  he  quickly 
opened,  then  slowly  read  aloud  the  pencilled  words : 

"  We  have  the  couriers  safe.  They  are  from  up  the  Verde,  badly 
scared  and  worn  out.  Say  they  have  been  chased  by  Indians  ever 
since  three  o'clock,  were  almost  out  of  ammunition.  Lieutenant 
Willett,  venturing  too  far  on  the  east  side,  while  we  were  to  the  west 
of  the  stream,  must  have  encountered  some  of  them.  We  heard  fir 
ing,  and  followed.  Found  his  horse  dead  among  the  rocks  and  Wil 
lett  lying  near,  stunned,  but  certainly  not  shot.  Could  see  nothing 
of  his  assailants.  Ambulance  needed.  Respectfully, 

"STRONG." 

Mrs.  Archer's  arm  wound  still  closer  about  her  daugh 
ter's  trembling  form.  Lilian  said  no  word,  but  her 
face  was  white,  her  soft  lips  were  quivering.  Mrs. 
Stannard  sympathetically  closed  in  on  the  other  side, 
as  the  general  gave  brief  directions,  and  presently,  be 
tween  the  two,  the  girl  walked  slowly  away,  only  the 
general  following  with  his  eyes.  Bentley  went  back 
once  again  to  quietly  tell  the  news  to  Harris,  but  was 
ready  when  the  ambulance  stopped  at  his  door.  Lilian 
had  been  persuaded  to  go  and  lie  down,  said  Mrs.  Arch 
er,  when  her  grave-faced  husband  came  home  at  dark. 
"  That  is  best,"  was  all  he  said,  but  he  turned  and  took 
his  fond  wife's  face  between  his  hands  and  kissed  it 
thrice,  then  went  forth  again  to  meet  the  coming  cou 
riers.  It  seems  their  orders  were  to  deliver  their  des 
patch  in  person  to  the  commander  of  Camp  Almy,  and, 
sending  them  on  for  refreshments,  he  read  by  the  light 
of  a  lantern  the  message  from  the  commander  of  the 
District  of  the  Verde.  Young  warriors  by  the  hun 
dred  were  out,  said  the  agent  at  the  reservation,  even 


TONIO,  SON   OF  THE  SIERRAS     139 

the  Apache-Mohaves.  Mail  messengers,  ranch  people 
and  others  had  been  murdered  close  to  Camp  Sandy. 
Friendly  Indians  report  soldiers  killed  in  Dead  Man's 
Canon  in  revenge  for  death  of  Comes  Flying,  acci 
dentally  shot.  Captain  Tanner  and  Lieutenant  Ray 
are  out  from  Camps  Sandy  and  Cameron,  with  strong 
commands,  and  will  try  to  communicate  with  Almy. 
"  Nothing  has  been  heard  of  Lieutenant  Harris  and  his 
scouts,"  said  the  despatch,  "  but  rumors  are  rife  as  to 
Indian  depredations  near  you.  It  is  feared  that  in 
your  advanced  position  you  may  be  surrounded,  and 
communication  cut  off,  but  no  fears  are  entertained 
as  to  your  ability  to  take  care  of  yourself.  If  you  still 
have  cavalry  scouting  in  the  Tonto  basin,  warn  them 
of  conditions  and  report  when  possible." 

"  So  much  for  so  much,"  said  the  general.  "  Now 
for  Willett,"  and  a  mile  farther  out  he  met  the  ambu 
lance  coming  in,  Willett  and  the  doctor  aboard,  the 
former  with  a  broken  collar-bone  and  a  bad  headache. 
Moreover,  Willett  was  in  vicious  mood. 

"  General  Archer,"  said  he,  "  the  shot  that  killed  my 
horse  was  meant  for  me,  and  the  Indian  who  fired  the 
shot  was  Harris's  paragon,  'Tonio." 


CHAPTEE    XIII. 

THAT  was  a  stirring  night  at  Almy.  The  general, 
contrary  to  habit,  was  very  grave  and  quiet,  saying 
little,  drinking  nothing,  even  the  customary  toddy  being 
declined.  The  doctor,  also  contrary  to  habit,  was  drink 
ing  a  little  and  thinking  a  lot,  but  saying  nothing.  An 
abstemious  man,  as  a  rule,  and  a  temperate  man  at  all 
times,  he  seemed  inclined  to  sample  his  Monongahela 
more  than  once  before  midnight,  when,  having  gotten 
his  patients  to  sleep,  he  tried  to  do  likewise.  "  They  are 
on  an  even  keel  again,"  said  Bonner,  referring  to  the 
two  casuals,  "  and  I  am  not  sorry  to  see  it."  Evidently 
there  had  been  comparison  of  notes  between  Strong  and 
Bonner,  and  an  agreement  of  some  kind,  for  both  held 
that  Willett  had  exceeded  his  authority,  as  well  as  his 
discretion,  in  conducting  a  single-handed  charge  on  an 
outnumbering  enemy,  secretly  hidden  behind  rocks  and 
ridges.  Strong's  men  said  that  Lieutenant  Willett, 
spurring  hard,  had  called  across  the  stream  for  them 
to  follow  him,  and  three  of  those  nearest  the  bank 
plunged  through  the  shallows  and  were  barely  three 
hundred  yards  behind  him  when,  from  their  right 
front  among  the  rocks  at  the  foot  of  a  bluff,  the  shot 
was  fired  that  wounded  the  lieutenant's  horse,  which 
veered  at  once  and  ran  away  down  among  the  willows. 
ISTo,  they  hadn't  charged.  They  turned,  too.  For  all 


TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS      141 

they  knew,  there  might  have  been  a  thousand  Apaches 
in  hiding  there,  and  when  the  lieutenant  turned  they 
turned.  It  was  not  until  Lieutenant  Strong  and  the 
rest  of  the  men  came  up  with  them  that  they  pushed 
ahead  and  found  the  officer  and  his  horse  lying  among 
the  rocks  by  the  stream.  Willett  had  been  hurled  out 
of  saddle  when  the  frenzied  beast  went  suddenly  down, 
and  there  he  lay,  stunned  and  bleeding,  while  the  poor 
brute  was  quivering  in  the  agonies  of  death. 

"  Did  you  see  anything  of  'Tonio  ? "  Strong  was 
asked,  as  a  mattter  of  course. 

"  Not  so  much  as  a  shred  of  his  breechclout,"  said 
Strong,  "  nor  of  any  other  Indian  nearer  than  a  mile 
away,  and  they  were  running  for  the  rocks.  It  was  too 
dark  to  do  any  trailing."  But  for  the  shot  that  killed 
Willett's  horse,  and  the  tremendous  tales  of  the  courier 
scouts,  Strong  would  have  been  inclined  to  say  there 
were  not  a  dozen  Indians  in  the  north  valley.  "  If 
there  were  more,"  said  he,  "  and  if  they  were  really  hos 
tile,  even  though  afoot  as  they  were,  was  it  likely  that 
two  couriers  on  worn-out  horses  could  have  escaped 
them  ?  E~o,"  said  Strong.  "  There  is  something  about 
it  we  don't  understand,  neither  does  Willett,  for  all  he's 
so  positive." 

But  Strong  admitted  that  two  things  puzzled  him. 
The  horse  was  certainly  shot,  and  Willett's  Colt,  the 
handsome  revolver  that  he  set  such  store  by,  was  cer 
tainly  gone.  Willett,  when  he  came  to,  had  asked  for 
it.  He  swore  that  he  had  drawn  it  from,  the  holster, 
and  was  riding  at  "  raise  pistol "  when  the  shot  was 
fired — that  he  clutched  it  as  his  maddened  horse  tore 


142     TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

blindly  down  the  slope,  and  then,  among  the  rocks, 
stumbled,  staggered  and  fell.  Now  revolver,  holster, 
"  thimble  belt "  of  cartridges — all  were  gone. 

The  couriers  were  made  to  tell  their  tale  while  the 
doctor  and  his  assistants  were  getting  Willett  to  bed, 
and  Willett,  from  several  conditions,  was  not  easy  to 
soothe  and  quiet.  He  had  not  been  sparing  of  the  spir- 
itus  frumenti  that  went  with  other  medical  supplies 
in  the  ambulance.  Archer  and  the  surgeon  saw  it,  and 
said  nothing.  That  was  natural,  possibly,  under  the 
circumstances,  and  could  be  controlled  later.  Archer 
cross-questioned  the  couriers  at  some  length.  They  had 
not  followed  the  Verde  Valley  southward.  They  had 
"  lit  out "  along  the  Mesa  road,  toward  Baker's  Butte, 
until  they  found  the  trail  by  way  of  Hardscrabble  and 
Granite  Creek.  They  had  succeeded  in  evading  Apa 
ches  until  the  third  day  out,  and  after  leaving  the  East 
Fork  they  saw  smokes  that  made  them  wary,  and  once 
down  in  the  Wild  Rye  Valley,  and  in  sight  of  the  old 
Picacho,  they  came  upon  recent  Indian  signs  in  the 
sand — moccasin  tracks  going  down  stream  bed  toward 
the  post.  Then  they  "  chassayed,"  as  they  said,  out 
into  the  open,  midway  to  the  foothills,  so  as  to  keep 
out  of  rifle  range  of  both,  and  then  Indians  came  a-run- 
ning  at  them  from  the  foothills,  trying  to  head  them 
off  and  take  them  alive,  they  supposed,  and  they  had 
dismounted  and  fought  and  driven  them  back,  and, 
oh,  they  must  have  killed  three  or  four  of  'em !  and  in 
fact  had  had  to  fight  for  their  lives  most  of  the  after 
noon.  Archer  listened,  incredulous,  puzzled.  Fron 
tiersmen's  and  fishermen's  tales  have  much  in  common. 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS     143 

These  were  men  who  had  been  employed  three  years, 
they  said,  by  the  agent  at  the  upper  reservation  and 
had  been  detailed  for  courier  duty  with  Colonel  Pelham, 
commanding  the  district  of  the  Verde.  One  was  Ameri 
can,  the  other  Mexican.  Their  story  might  be  straight, 
but,  with  all  the  valor  to  which  they  laid  claim,  it 
seemed  strange  to  Archer  and  his  officers  that  two  men 
could  break  their  way  through  an  encircling  horde  of 
hostiles  such  as  they  described,  and  hold  a  hundred 
fierce  Apaches  four  long  hours  at  bay. 

Harris  was  awake,  and  in  highly  nervous  condition, 
and  begging  that  he  might  be  allowed  to  see  and  ques 
tion  these  couriers,  but  both  doctors,  regular  and  con 
tract,  said  no,  not  this  night.  And  so,  toward  mid 
night,  the  couriers  were  permitted  to  go  to  bed.  The 
doubled  sentries  were  cautioned  to  observe  the  utmost 
vigilance.  The  lights  were  extinguished  at  the  store, 
by  way  of  telling  everybody  that  neither  game  nor 
glass  was  to  be  had  before  the  morrow.  The  general 
was  urged  by  his  devoted  adherents,  Bonner,  Bucketts 
and  Strong,  to  get  such  sleep  as  was  possible,  and  the 
post  was  committed  to  the  charge  of  Lieutenant  Briggs, 
officer  of  the  day.  The  lights  were  still  burning  low 
at  the  hospital  and  in  the  doctor's  quarters  and  Strong's, 
as,  with  a  look  about  the  moonlit  valley  and  a  word 
to  his  sergeant,  Bonner  rejoined  his  comrades  at  the 
quartermaster's  veranda. 

"  Odd,"  said  he,  with  a  tilt  of  his  head  toward  the 
quarters  next  beyond,  "  of  all  our  little  fighting  force, 
so  far  the  only  casualties  are  with  our  two  casuals." 

That  was  at  one  o'clock  in  the  morning.     At  three, 


144     TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

by  which  time  all  but  the  guard  were  presumably  in 
bed,  Mrs.  Archer,  lying  anxious  and  wakeful,  listening 
for  the  sound  of  sigh  or  sob  from  Lilian's  little  room 
and  praying  that  sorrow  might  be  averted  from  that 
beloved  child,  felt  sure  at  last  that  she  heard  a  foot 
step,  and,  stealing  softly  across  the  narrow  hallway, 
found  Lilian  kneeling  at  the  curtained  window  and 
gazing  out  upon  the  brilliant  night.  There  was  no 
reproach  in  the  mother's  murmured  words.  Well  she 
knew  what  it  portended  that  her  daughter  should  be  at 
this  hour  sleepless  and  striving,  perhaps,  to  see  the 
light  from  the  window  where  her  young  hero  lay  pros 
trate  and  suffering.  !N"ot  one  word  had  they  yet  ex 
changed  about  him,  but  many  a  woman,  even  with  mother 
love  brimming  over  in  her  heart,  would  have  upbraided, 
and  many  another  would  have  "  nagged."  What  other 
word  have  we  for  that  feminine  method,  the  resort  of  so 
very  many,  the  remedy  of  so  very  few  ?  But  Mrs.  Archer 
simply  circled  a  loving  arm  about  the  slender  form. 
:(  We're  all  on  guard  to  night,  aren't  we,  daughter  ?" 
she  murmured,  fondly  kissing  the  tear-wet  cheek.  "  It 
was  so  long  before  your  father  dropped  to  sleep.  Have 
you — heard  anything?" 

Burying  her  face  in  the  dear  refuge  of  years,  with 
her  arms  thrown  instantly  about  her  mother's  neck, 
Lilian's  sole  answer  was  a  shake  of  the  bonny  head. 
It  was  as  much  as  saying,  "  You  know  that  isn't  the 
matter;  yet,  thank  you  for  trying  to  think  so — thank 
you  for  not  asking  me  what  is." 

"  Well,  /  did,"  murmured  Mrs.  Archer,  slowly  rising 
to  her  feet,  and  drawing  Lilian  with  her.  "  I'm  sure 


TONIO,  SON  OF   THE   SIERRAS     145 

I  heard  low  voices  down  there  on  the  flat  toward  the 
ford.  The  sentries  are  more  than  usually  watchful 
and  taking  note  of  everything.  You  know  it  was  right 
out  there  Number  Five  heard  the  crying  in  the  willows 
only  last  night."  And  all  the  time  she  was  quietly 
leading  her  child  back  to  the  little  white  bed. 

Then  suddenly  Lilian  stopped  and  lifted  her  head. 
"  I  hear  now/7  said  she.  "  It's  coming !"  Across  the 
hall  stealthily  they  sped,  and  together  were  presently 
peering  from  the  southward  window  in  Mrs.  Archer's 
room.  Two  dim  figures  could  be  seen  crossing  the  flat 
from  the  direction  of  the  ford,  coming  straight  for 
the  low  point  of  the  mesa  whereon  stood  the  quarters 
of  the  commanding  officer.  Then  they  began  breasting 
the  slope,  but  exchanging  no  word.  As  they  reached 
the  top  Mrs.  Archer  caught  Lilian's  hand.  "  It's  an 
Indian — a  runner,  I  believe.  See,  that's  the  corporal 
of  the  guard  with  him !  It's  a  despatch  of  some  kind !" 

And  so  it  proved.  Five  minutes  later,  Briggs,  officer 
of  the  day,  was  heard  coming  down  the  line;  his  sword 
clicked  at  the  steps;  his  foot  was  on  the  veranda,  but 
before  he  could  knock,  Mrs.  Archer  met  him  at  the 
door. 

"  We  saw  them  coming,"  said  she.  "  Is  it  a  despatch 
— for  the  general  ?  " 

"  From  Captain  Turner,"  said  he  gravely.  "I  read 
it,  hoping  not  to  have  to  disturb  the  general,  but — 
there's  been  a  fight  and  some  are  wounded.  Turner 
needs  instructions." 

The  army-bred  woman  needed  no  further  word.  She 
knew  at  once  what  had  to  be  done.  "Wake  father, 


146     TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS 

Lilian,  dear,"  she  gently  called  from  the  foot  of  the 
stairs.  "  Will  you  come  in,  Mr.  Briggs  ?  I  can  light 
up  in  a  moment." 

"  There's  light  in  abundance  out  here,  thank  you, 
Mrs.  Archer.  Besides,  I  have  our  runner."  And, 
turning  back,  he  pointed  to  the  steps  where,  still  watched 
by  Corporal  Hicks,  the  dusky  messenger  squatted 
wearily.  All  Apaches  looked  alike  to  Hicks.  His  atti 
tude  was  plainly  indicative  of  a  conviction  that 
treachery  of  some  kind  was  afoot,  and  this  particular 
envoy  had  designs  on  his  commander  or  that  com 
mander's  wife.  They  could  hear  the  veteran  bustling 
about  upstairs,  hurriedly  donning  his  uniform.  Then 
came  Strong,  with  his  quick,  bounding  step,  for  Briggs 
had  called  him  before  disturbing  the  "  Old  Man."  A 
moment  later,  by  the  clear  light  of  the  unclouded  moon, 
Archer  was  hurriedly  reading  Turner's  brief  despatch. 

BIVOUAC  ON  TORONTO  CREEK,  November  24th,  187-. 
POST  ADJUTANT, 

CAMP  ALMY. 

We  have  had  two  more  brushes  with  Tonto  Apaches,  resulting  in 
the  breaking  up  of  two  rancherias  and  the  scattering  of  the  band, 
leaving  several  dead  in  each  affair,  also  a  few  wounded  bucks  and 
squaws  that  I  had  to  leave,  as  we  had  no  means  of  sending  them  to 
the  post  or  caring  for  them  in  any  way.  Sergeant  Payne,  Corporal 
Smith,  G,  and  Troopers  Schreiter  and  Wenzel,  wounded,  are  doing  as 
well  as  can  be  expected,  but  must  remain  at  this  point  under  a  small 
guard  while  we  follow  the  renegades.  The  scouts  report  many  signs 
toward  the  Black  Mesa,  and  we  shall  strike  wherever  we  find  the 
hostiles,  but  I  shall  have  but  twenty-five  men  with  me  now,  and 
barely  forty  rounds  per  man.  Instructions  sent  by  bearer  may  reach 
me  among  the  foothills  toward  Diamond  Butte.  Otherwise,  we  shall 
return  by  the  way  we  came.  Trooper  Hanson,  died  of  wounds  in 
the  affair  previously  reported,  was  buried  here. 

Respectfully, 

TURNER,  Commanding. 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE   SIERRAS      147 

"  Then  the  other  runner  failed  to  get  in,"  said  Archer 
gravely.  "  There  was  a  fight  before  this.  Turner's 
found  a  raft  of  Indians.  This  despatch  is  two  days 
old  now.  Have  we  nobody  who  can  talk  with  this 
Indian?" 

"  ]STobody,  I  fear,  sir,"  answered  Strong,  bending 
over  the  scout  and  examining  the  brass  identification 
tag  worn  by  each  of  those  regularly  employed  and 
mustered.  "  He's  a  Hualpai.  No.  21.  Even  Harris 
doesn't  know  that  tongue,  sir." 

"  If  anybody  here  does,  it's  one  of  those  two  that 
got  in  from  Verde  last  evening,"  said  Archer  re 
flectively.  "  Turner  evidently  had  no  idea  the  hostiles 
were  all  about  us,  and  he  thinks  the  previous  despatch 
must  have  reached  us.  Corporal,  go  find  the  couriers 
and  fetch  them  here.  Be  seated,  gentlemen,"  he  con 
tinued,  in  his  courtly  way,  then  turning  from  every 
body,  stepped  out  on  the  sandy  level  between  his  quar 
ters  and  the  office  building,  and  began  pacing  slowly 
up  and  down. 

What  was  to  be  done?  ~No  word  had  come  from 
Stannard.  Stirring,  yet  disquieting  news  they  now  had 
from  Turner,  whose  wounded  lay  in  need  of  medical 
attention  a  long  day's  march  through  stony  wilds,  with 
jealous  and  savage  eyes  watching  every  trail.  Here  at 
Almy  he  had  two  companies  of  sturdy  foot,  capable 
of  covering  ground  almost  as  fast  as  the  cavalry,  but 
wearing  out  shoe  leather  much  faster.  Twenty  of  these 
fellows  could  fight  their  way  through  to  the  Tonto,  but 
might  have  just  as  many  more  wounded  to  care  for,  and 
be  unable  to  transport  them.  Moreover,  with  so 


148     TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

hostiles  on  every  side,  was  he  justified  in  stripping  the 
post  of  its  defenders  ?  It  was  no  pleasant  situation. 
It  was  more  than  perplexing.  Presently  he  turned  and, 
using  such  signs  as  he  thought  might  be  comprehensible, 
asked  the  impassive  runner  if  he  knew  where  the  first 
fight  took  place,  and  the  Hualpai,  as  would  almost  any 
Indian  partially  gathering  the  drift  of  a  question,  be 
gan  a  rambling  reply,  pointing  as  he  spoke,  with  shift 
ing  finger,  all  over  the  range  to  the  south-east. 

"  Bella,  dear,  have  we  anything  that  this  incompre 
hensible  creature  could  eat  ?"  asked  Archer.  "  It  may 
help  matters."  And  presently  the  lady  of  the  house 
appeared  at  the  hall  door  again,  with  a  tray  in  her 
hands.  Briggs  ceremoniously  took  it,  and  set  huge 
slices  of  bread  and  jam  before  the  gaunt  mountaineer, 
who  found  his  feet  in  an  instant;  received  a  slice  on 
the  palm  of  his  outspread  hand;  lifted  it  cautiously, 
his  yellow  teeth  showing  hungrily;  smelled  it  sus 
piciously,  thrust  forth  his  tongue,  and  slowly  tasted  the 
strange  mixture  on  the  surface;  then,  with  confidence 
established,  finished  it  in  four  gulps,  and,  like  a  grey 
hound,  looked  eagerly  for  more.  Briggs  laughed  and 
pointed  to  the  tray  on  the  steps,  but  the  Hualpai  shook 
his  head  and  drew  back  shyly. 

"  You'll  have  to  give  it  piece  by  piece,  Briggs/7  said 
Strong.  "  His  squaw  would  scoop  the  whole  trayload 
into  her  skirt  or  blanket,  but  not  a  Hualpai  brave." 

Approached  in  accordance  with  Hualpai  views  of 
table  etiquette,  the  Indian  ate  greedily,  and  was  still 
eating  when  the  corporal  came  and,  with  him,  the  sleepy 
and  dishevelled  courier,  the  American.  And  now  in  the 


TONIO,  SON   OF  THE  SIERRAS     149 

radiant  moonlight  the  strange  war  council  was  resumed. 

"  Ask  him,  if  you  can,  where  the  first  fight  came  off, 
and  who  was  sent  with  the  despatch/7  demanded  the 
general  of  the  new-comer,  upon  whom  the  Hualpai 
looked  in  recognition,  but  with  neither  light  nor  wel 
come  in  his  piercing  eyes.  Question  and  answer  in 
halting,  uncanny  speech  progressed  fitfully  a  moment. 
Then  came  the  report: 

"  He  says  there  was  a  fight  the  first  day  out ;  another 
when  they  struck  Tonto  Creek,  and  two  soldiers  were 
killed." 

"  And  as  to  the  first  runner  ?" 

"  He  says  'Patchie  Mohave  brought  it  all  way  safe. 
This  buck  met  him  going  back.  He  said  he  gave  it  to 
'  scout  capitan  '  out  by  Picacho." 

"  '  Out  by  Picacho  P  '  Scout  capitan !'  Who  on  earth 
does  he  mean  ?  "  asked  Archer,  with  a  sudden  fear  at 
heart. 

Once  again,  stumbling  question,  much  gesticulation, 
many  words  in  strange  gutturals — and  a  name.  Then 
the  final  report: 

"  He  means  Apache-Mohave — 'Tonio !  " 


CHAPTEE  XIV. 

THREE  anxious,  watchful  days  went  by,  with  anxious, 
watchful  nights  intervening,  with  no  further  tidings 
of  'Tonio  or  Stannard  or  Turner,  of  friend  or  foe 
from  the  outside  world,  and  with  only  one  attempt  on 
part  of  the  invisibly,  yet  perceptibly,  surrounded  garri 
son  to  communicate  with  the  field  columns.  "  Hualpai 
21,"  the  only  designation  he  would  own  to  (the  real 
name,  in  the  absence  of  some  tribesman  to  speak  for 
him,  one  could  rarely  learn  from  an  Indian),  was  given 
his  fill  of  food  and  rest,  then,  with  a  despatch  to  Turner, 
was  sent  forth  Monday  night  south-eastward,  the  way 
he  came,  and  bidden  if  he  reached  the  rugged  height 
known  as  El  Caporal,  some  twelve  miles  to  the  south 
east,  and  deemed  it  safe  to  do  so,  to  send  at  sunrise 
three  quick  mirror  flashes  toward  the  flagstaff,  repeat 
ing  twice  or  thrice  to  be  sure  of  its  attracting  atten 
tion.  Hualpai  21  took  with  him  one  of  those  cheap 
little  disks  of  looking-glass,  cased  in  pewter,  at  that  time 
found  at  every  frontier  store.  He  took  also  the  injunc 
tion  to  give  his  despatch  to  Captain  Turner  or  one 
of  his  men,  but  to  no  Indian  whomsoever — 'Tonio  in 
particular.  It  was  the  last  attempt  of  the  week. 

For,  from  dawn  until  the  sun  was  an  hour  high,  the 
watchers  watched  in  vain.  Three  signal  glasses, 
telescope  and  binocular,  were  trained  upon  the  heights 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS     151 

and  no  one  of  them  caught  the  faintest  spark  of  re 
flected  light.  The  nearest  approach  to  a  signal  was 
seen  by  a  corporal  of  the  guard  and  sentry  Number 
Six  an  hour  after  midnight,  when,  in  quick  succession, 
two  faint,  firefly  flashes,  unrepeated,  were  visible  afar 
out  due  east  of  the  Picacho,  and  they  could  have  been 
caused  in  only  two  ways — somebody  experimenting  with 
a  mirror  and  the  moonbeams,  the  moon  being  then 
about  three  hours  high  and  three-quarters  full,  or  else, 
as  they  were  ruddier  than  moonshine,  somebody  taking 
two  quick  shots,  probably  at  somebody  else.  The  cor 
poral  counted  seconds  up  to  twenty  and  more,  and  even 
in  that  breathless  silence,  heard  not  a  sound  to  warrant 
the  belief. 

Yet  a  few  hours  later  that  sun-blistered  morning, 
the  bookkeeper  Case  "  blew  in  for  a  bottle/'  as  he  ex 
pressed  it;  remarked  with  engaging  frankness  that  he 
believed  he  had  still  a  day  or  so  in  which  to  taper, 
and  would  be  home  and  on  deck  if  the  Apaches  didn't 
get  him  meantime;  and,  being  delicately  invited  to 
state  where  he  had  spent  the  night,  replied  as  frankly 
as  before,  "  Down  at  Jose  Sanchez's,"  meaning  thereby 
the  down-stream  resort  two  miles  distant,  where  pros^ 
pectors,  packers  and  occasionally  men  from  the  postf 
in  peace  times,  at  least,  went  for  unlimited  mescal  and 
monte.  Since  the  death  of  Comes  Flying,  the  disap 
pearance  of  'Patchie  Sanchez  (the  runner,  half-brother 
to  Sanchez,  the  gambler),  and  the  general  outbreak 
among  the  Indians,  it  had  been  shunned  as  utterly  un 
safe,  and  reported  abandoned.  When  cautioned  by 
Watts  against  returning  thither,  Mr.  Case  replied  that 


152     TONIO,  SON   OF  THE  SIERRAS 

now  that  the  Indians  spurned  it,  for  not  even  'Tonio 
would  set  foot  anywhere  about  the  ranch,  the  ghost 
of  the  brother  was  seen  there  every  night.  He  had  seen 
it  and  it  was  an  honest  ghost,  and  a  convivial  spirit, 
which  was  why  last  night's  bottle  had  lasted  no  longer. 
Moreover,  Case  said  that  when  he  was  drinking  he  was 
only  at  home  in  half-bred  society  and  couldn't  live  up 
to  the  high  tone  of  the  post.  When  told  of  Mr.  Wil- 
lett's  further  mishap,  Case  sobered  for  a  moment  in 
manner,  and  said  Mr.  Willett  was  unwise  taking  so 
many  chances,  and  Mr.  Willett  would  be  in  big  luck 
if  he  got  away  from  Almy  without  further  puncture. 
Somebody  else  had  been  shot  at  last  night.  He  and 
the  ghost  had  heard  it. 

This  at  the  moment  was  regarded  as  semi-maudlin 
talk,  but  at  morning  office  hour  Watts  was  sent  for, 
was  told  what  the  guard  had  seen,  and  asked  what 
Case  had  really  said,  rumor  being,  as  a  rule,  inac 
curate.  Then  Archer  rebuked  Watts  for  letting  Case 
go  in  his  intoxicated  condition,  and  it  was  decided  to 
send  a  little  party  in  search,  in  hopes  of  fetching  him 
in  and  finding  out  more  about  the  alleged  shooting. 
The  party  found  Case  without  any  trouble.  He  sat 
singing  to  himself  and  swinging  his  legs  from  the  table 
in  the  abandoned  rookery,  the  half-emptied  bottle  on 
one  side  and  a  "  monkey  "  of  spring  water  on  the  other, 
scornful  alike  of  danger  or  demands,  but  indomitably 
courteous.  The  party  took  a  drink  with  him  as 
promptly  invited,  but  found  him  implacably  bent  on 
holding  the  position.  "Not  until  argument  and  whiskey 
both  were  exhausted  would  he  listen  to  reason  and  the 


TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS     153 

suggestion  to  return  to  the  post.  That  being  the  only 
means  to  more  whiskey,  he  started  affably  enough,  but 
before  going  half  a  mile  declared  he  had  left  or  lent 
his  revolver.  "  There's  only  one  revolver  at  Camp 
Almy  just  like  it,"  said  he,  with  drunken  dignity,  and 
then,  with  sudden  gravity,  "  an'  that  one — isn't  at 
Camp  Almy." 

The  infantry  sergeant  in  command  of  the  little  party 
tried  to  wheedle  Case  out  of  his  whim,  but  it  was 
useless.  Back  he  would  go,  and  they,  half  supporting, 
had  to  go  with  him.  From  the  drawer  of  the  battered 
old  table  he  drew  the  missing  weapon  to  light,  and  it 
stood  revealed — one  of  the  famous  Colt's  44,  made  soon 
after  the  Civil  War  to  replace  the  percussion-capped 
"  Navy "  carried  by  most  officers  of  the  army  until 
late  in  the  '60's.  In  the  hands  of  the  cavalry  at  the 
moment,  and  for  experimental  purposes,  were  nickel- 
plated  Smith  and  Wesson's  of  the  same  calibre,  and 
nearly  the  same  length  of  barrel,  also  one  or  two  other 
patterns  of  the  remodelled  Colt.  But,  as  Case  said,  this 
was  a  special  make  and  model,  differing  slightly  from 
any  that  Sergeant  Joyce  had  ever  yet  seen;  but  not 
until  later  did  the  sergeant  or  his  comrades  attach  any 
significance  to  Case's  statement,  "  there's  only  one  at 
Almy  just  like  it.", 

His  weapon  recovered,  his  mental  balance  slightly  re 
stored,  and  with  the  further  inspiration  of  replenished 
flask  ahead,  Case  made  the  difficult  essay  to  tramp  the 
two  sandy  miles  back  to  the  store  and  the  still  more 
difficult  task  of  there  accounting  for  himself  and  ex 
plaining  his  enigmatical  sayings.  Strong,  as  directed, 


154     TONIO,  SON  OF  THE   SIERRAS 

strove  to  keep  him  to  the  point,  but  the  one  more  drink 
Case  declared  indispensable  on  his  final  arrival  at  dusk 
sent  flitting  the  last  filaments  of  reason,  and  the  poor 
fellow  maundered  off  to  sleep  on  his  little  cot  in  the 
darkened  room,  where  he  was  bolted  in  and  left  for  the 
night. 

"  Only  one  pistol  like  it  at  the  post,  and  that — isn't 
at  the  post,"  Strong  found  himself  repeating  again  and 
again  that  night,  as,  after  Mrs.  Archer  and  Mrs.  Stan- 
nard  had  read  their  patient  into  a  doze  and  taken  their 
departure,  the  adjutant  stood  for  a  moment  by  Wil- 
let's  bedside.  "  And  now  Willett  has  lost  his,  and  pre 
sumably  the  Tontos,  or  perhaps  the  Apache-Mohaves, 
have  got  it !" 

They  had  wandered  away  in  the  darkness  together, 
those  two  brave  and  tender-hearted  army  women,  each 
with  a  keen  anxiety  of  her  own,  each  striving  to  be  help 
ful  to  the  other. "  Three  invalids  were  there  now  at  Almy 
to  whom  they  were  giving  many  hours  of  care  and  nurs 
ing.  Poor  Mrs.  Bennett  gained  little  in  mental  or  bodily 
health.  The  fearful  scenes  of  that  long  night  of  horror 
and  rapine  still  seemed  vividly  before  her  in  her  few 
hours  of  fitful  slumber,  and  were  this  state  of  things 
to  continue  long,  said  the  doctor,  insanity  would  be  a 
merciful  refuge.  An  hour  or  so  each  day  these  minister 
ing  angels  gave  to  the  young  officers.  Harris,  severely 
shot,  was  mending  fast,  his  perfect  physical  condition 
lending  itself  admirably  to  his  restoration.  Willett,  but 
slightly  injured,  should  be  sitting  up,  with  his  shoulder 
in  a  frame  and  his  arm  in  a  sling,  but  he  was  mending 
only  slowly,  and  had  not  a  little  fever.  Harris,  accus- 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS     155 

tomed  to  self-denial,  seemed  to  require  no  physical  com 
forts.  Willett,  something  of  a  Sybarite,  craved  iced 
drinks  and  cooling  applications  that  gave  more  trouble, 
said  Strong,  than  twenty  Harrises.  Willett  had  even 
gone  so  far  as  to  suggest  that  the  ladies  must  be  tired 
of  reading  aloud,  possibly  Miss  Lilian  might  relieve  one 
or  other,  and  possibly,  hope  whispered,  both.  Harris, 
who  would  have  welcomed  that  presence  and  possibility 
as  he  would  no  other,  had  ventured  nothing  beyond  the 
expression  of  a  hope  that  Miss  Archer  was  quite  well. 

As  for  Miss  Archer  herself,  what  man  can  say  just 
what  thoughts,  emotions,  hopes  and  fears  were  rioting 
in  that  gentle  and  innocent,  yet  troubled  heart.  A  very 
unheroic  little  heroine  is  this  of  ours.  It  was  a  time 
when  she  might  well  be  thinking  of  the  perils  by  which 
they  and  their  defenders  were  encompassed  round  about, 
of  the  bereaved  and  broken-hearted  woman  crying  to 
heaven  for  her  murdered  husband  and  her  stolen  chil 
dren,  of  the  scouts  and  couriers  shot  down  from  ambush 
in  their  efforts  to  reach  them  in  their  isolation  or  to 
creep  through  with  messages  to  the  columns  afield,  of 
the  wounded  lying  with  but  scant  attention  and  puny 
guard,  weary  marches  away,  of  the  comrades  killed  or 
died  of  wounds  in  fierce  grapple  with  the  warriors  of 
the  desert  and  the  mountains — even  of  this  young  soldier 
within  their  gates,  sore  stricken  in  daring  rescue  of  a 
helpless  woman,  he  to  whose  coolness  and  command  of 
self — and  others — had  saved  her  from  the  rattler's  fang. 
Very  possibly  she  did  think  of  it — and  often — and  tried 
to  think  of  them  still  of tener,  but  all  the  time,  it  must 
be  owned,  in  her  heart  of  hearts  she  was  hearing  again 


156     TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

the  soft,  caressing  tone  of  that  deep,  rich  voice — "  the 
words  of  love  then  spoken ;"  she  saw  again  the  lustrous 
eyes  that  shone  and  burned  into  hers  despite  their  droop 
ing  lids,  the  graceful,  gallant  form  of  that  picture  of 
the  knight  and  gentleman  whose  swift  wooing  had  made 
such  wondrous  way.  Lilian  Archer  was  but  a  child 
in  spite  of  years  and  schooling.  She  spent  her  earliest 
years  within  the  shadow  of  the  flag  and  the  sound  of  the 
drum.  She  had  seen  nothing  of  garrison  life  from  that 
morning  in  '61,  when  she  had  just  passed  her  sixth  birth 
day,  when  they  were  bundled  aboard  a  wheezing  river 
stern  wheeler  and  floated  for  many  a  day  and  many  and 
many  a  long  mile  down  a  muddy,  twisting  stream — her 
father  so  grave  and  anxious,  and  some  of  the  officers  with 
him  so  urgent  and  appealing.  She  could  not  under 
stand  why  her  mother  should  so  often  sit  with  tear- 
brimming  eyes  and  clasp  her  to  her  bosom  with  the  boy 
brother  she  so  loved — and  teased.  Father's  home  was 
in  a  proud  old  border  state,  and  they  went  there  for 
a  week  or  two,  after  that  sorrowful  day  in  St.  Louis 
when  three  of  father's  old  friends  and  comrades  came 
for  one  last  conference  and  then — a  last  good-by — two 
of  them  refusing  his  hand.  They  had  resigned  and  fol 
lowed  their  state.  They  had  striven  to  take  him  with 
them  to  swell  the  ranks  of  the  proud  young  army  of  the 
South.  They  had  loved  him  well  and  he  them,  but 
there  was  something  floating  overhead,  from  the  white 
staff  at  the  stern,  he  held  still  dearer.  One  officer,  who 
was  most  urgent  in  his  pleadings,  was  her  bonny  "  Uncle 
Barney,"  mother's  own  brother,  and  when  he  left,  with 
out  kiss  for  her  or  handclasp  for  the  sad-faced  soldier 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS     157 

in  the  worn  uniform  of  blue,  mother's  heart  seemed  al 
most  breaking.  Father  took  them  to  his  father's  old 
home,  and  left  them  there  while  he  went  to  drilling 
militiamen  north  of  the  Ohio,  and  was  presently  made 
a  colonel  of  volunteers.  But  the  people  who  lived  about 
them  were  all  for  the  South,  and  they  could  not  forgive 
mother  for  his  taking  sides  against  them;  so,  through 
out  the  long  bitter  struggle,  while  he  was  at  the  front 
or  suffering  in  Southern  prison,  as  happened  once,  and 
from  Northern  suspicion,  as  happened  much  more  than 
once,  they  lived  in  lodgings  in  a  quiet  little  country 
town,  where  brother  and  she  went  hand  in  hand  to  school 
and  saw  little  of  the  outer  world  and  nothing  of  the  war. 
Then  at  last  came  peace,  and  in  '66  the  reorganization 
of  the  army,  and  father — in  a  general's  uniform  on  a 
major's  pay.  Then  in  '69  General  Grant  appointed 
brother  a  cadet,  and  all  were  so  proud  and  hopeful  when 
he  left  them  for  the  Point.  He  was  the  image  of  Uncle 
Barney,  who  was  killed  leading  his  splendid  brigade  in 
one  of  the  earliest  battles  in  Virginia,  and,  like  Uncle 
Barney,  brother  was  high-spirited  and  impatient. 
Mathematics  and  demerit  set  him  back  in  'TO  and 
dropped  him  out  entirely  in  '71,  when  father  was  weeks 
away  across  the  deserts  of  Arizona,  and  they  were  in 
lodgings  at  San  Francisco,  and  poor  mother  was  nearly 
distraught  with  grief  and  anxiety.  Brother  never  came 
back  to  them.  He  went  straight,  it  seems,  to  the  Brook 
lyn  Navy- Yard;  enlisted  in  the  Marines,  and,  within 
five  months  thereafter,  jumped  from  the  deck  of  the 
"  Yantic  "  in  a  swift  tideway  at  Amoy,  striving  to  aid  a 
drowning  shipmate,  and  was  never  seen  again.  That 


158     TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

was  the  saddest  Christmas  they  ever  knew.  Father  had 
to  return  to  his  post,  and  all  that  year  of  ?T2  they  wore 
deep  mourning  and  went  nowhere.  During  the  spring 
of  ?73  mother  was  rallying  a  little,  and  loving  army 
friends  from  the  Presidio  and  Angel  Islands,  who  used 
to  come  to  see  them  so  often,  now  sought  to  have  Lilian 
visit  them;  but  wisely  Mrs.  Archer  kept  her  at  her 
studies  and  her  music  and  away  from  possible  fascina 
tion  of  the  garrison,  and  except,  therefore,  for  two 
dances  given  by  the  artillery,  and  one  charming,  rose- 
bowered  afternon  reception  at  Angel  Island,  Lilian  had 
seen  nothing  of  army  life  and  next  to  nothing  of  army 
beaux,  until  in  all  the  ardor  and  innocence  of  sweet, 
winsome,  wholesome  girlhood — buoyant,  beautiful  and 
in  exuberant  health  and  spirits,  she  was  suddenly  landed 
here  at  this  out  of  the  way  station  in  uttermost  Arizona, 
and  brought  face  to  face  with  love  and  destiny. 

For  two  days  she  had  been  hoping  that  mother  would 
suggest  that  she,  too,  might  come  when  they  went  for 
the  afternoon  visits  to  their  wounded.  But,  though 
mother  had  twice  taken  her  to  sit  a  few  minutes  by  the 
side  of  poor,  frenzied  Mrs.  Bennett,  there  came  no  in 
timation  that  she  might  follow  to  the  bedside  of  Lieu 
tenant  Willett,  whose  voice  the  child  was  longing  to  hear 
again,  whose  face  she  craved  to  see.  No  woman  of  he 
roic  mould,  perhaps,  was  Mrs.  Archer.  Hers  was  one  of 
those  fond,  clinging  natures,  capable  of  any  sacrifice  for 
the  husband  or  child  she  loved.  She  had  turned  her  back 
on  the  home  and  the  people  so  dear  to  her  when  unhesi 
tatingly  she  followed  the  soldier  husband  she  rapturously 
loved,  and  now,  though  she  yearned  to  take  her  daughter 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS     159 

to  her  heart  and  kiss  away  the  wistful,  pathetic,  pleading 
look  in  the  fond  eyes  that  never  before  had  appealed 
to  her  in  vain,  something  told  her  it  were  best  to  let 
her  fight  it  out,  even  to  suffer,  alone,  than  admit,  even 
to  her,  the  possibility  of  a  growing  love  for  this 
brilliant  and  dangerous  young  gallant,  as  to  whom  she 
had  unwittingly  heard  such  damning  accusation.  It 
had  not  taken  Mrs.  Archer  long  to  learn  that  Case, 
nerved  by  drink,  had  appeared  at  Harris's  bedside  that 
Sunday  afternoon,  asking  to  speak  with  him  alone,  only 
to  be  speedily  followed  by  Willett,  and  by  the  alterca 
tion  she  had  overheard.  Under  the  circumstances,  as 
known  to  her,  Mrs.  Archer  was  thankful  that,  since 
he  could  not  leave  the  post,  Lieutenant  Willett  could  not 
even  leave  his  room.  Not  with  her  knowledge  and  con 
sent  should  her  gentle  Lilian  be  again  brought  within  the 
sphere  of  his  influence. 

But  Love  that  laughs  at  locksmiths  was  yet  to  find  his 
way,  and  that  right  soon. 


CHAPTER 


HAKEIS  was  up  and  fuming  for  action.  .With  his 
wound  unhealed  and  his  arm  utterly  useless,  he  was 
insistent  that  he  should  be  permitted  to  mount  and  ride. 
"  What  could  you  do  ?"  asked  Bentley.  "  The  post  is 
surrounded.  Every  trail  and  both  roads  are  watched 
day  and  night.  Your  horse  is  all  that's  left  you.  'Tonio 
is  gone.  'Tonio  has  turned  traitor  !" 

"  That/'  said  Harris,  "  I  will  not  believe  for  an  in 
stant." 

They  brought  General  Archer  to  see  him,  and  the 
grave-faced  old  soldier  bent  kindly  over  the  impatient 
and  incredulous  junior.  "  It  is  even  as  Bentley  tells  you, 
lad,"  said  he.  "  Only  one  messenger  has  been  able  to 
come  or  go  through  their  lines  since  the  demoralized  pair 
that  got  in  from  Verde,  and  they  can't  be  hired  to  try 
again.  We  are  hemmed  in  and  helpless  until  our  cav 
alry  return.  Willett  will  tell  you  he  saw  'Tonio  fire 
the  shot  that  killed  his  horse  and  was  meant  to  kill  him. 
'Tonio  has  intercepted  messengers  between  Turner  and 
me,  and  killed,  I  believe,  at  least  one  messenger.  You 
must  be  patient  or  you  will  throw  yourself  into  a  fever 
and  set  you  back  a  month.  We've  simply  got  to  act 
on  the  defensive,  guard  the  post  and  the  women  until 
relief  comes.  By  this  time,  of  course,  General  Crook 
himself  is  somewhere  in  the  field,  and  any  moment  may 


TONIO,  SON   OF  THE  SIERRAS     161 

bring  him;  then  our  Apache  friends,  hereabouts,  will 
have  to  hunt  their  holes." 

"  General  Archer,"  said  Harris,  commanding  him 
self  with  evident  effort  and  striving  to  speak  with  his 
accustomed  deliberation,  "  I  have  not  seen  Willett,  but, 
if  I  had,  I  should  refuse  to  believe  that  'Tonio  fired  at 
him.  The  Apache-Mohaves  may  be  with  the  hostiles 
at  last,  but  not  'Tonio.  There  is  some  reason  for  his 
absence  that  we  cannot  fathom.  They  may  have  killed 
him  for  his  loyalty  to  us,  but  loyal  he  is  at  heart,  no 
matter  how  much  appearances  are  against  him." 

"  We'll  hope  so,"  said  Archer,  "  but  for  the  present, 
do  as  Bentley  bids  you  and  stay  quiet,"  and  the  com 
mander  rose  to  go. 

But  Harris,  too,  was  on  his  feet,  steadying  himself 
with  one  hand  on  the  back  of  his  chair.  "  You  will 
pardon  me,  will  you  not,  sir,  if  I  ask  a  question  ?  You 
say  you  have  been  unable  to  communicate  with  Stannard 
or  Turner.  Stannard  is,  probably,  too  far  away,  but  if 
Turner's  wounded  are  over  on  Tonto  Creek,  he  can  be 
reached.  Have  you  tried  signalling  ?  " 

"  Signalling  ?  We've  got  some  flags  and  torches  some 
where,  but  I  believe  that " 

"  I  don't  mean  that,  sir.  No  one  with  Turner  would 
understand  if  we  had.  I  mean  smoke  signals — Indian." 

"  ]STo,"  said  Archer  slowly.  "  No  one  but  Indians 
could  say  what  they  meant,  even  if  any  one  here  knew 
their  confounded  code.  Do  you  ?" 

"  I  know  enough  at  least  to  call  'Tonio ;  and  unless  he 
is  dead  or  spirited  away,  he'll  answer.  Then  we  can  get 
.word  to  Turner." 


162     TONIO,   SON   OF  THE  SIERRAS 

Archer  turned  back.  He  was  almost  at  the  door. 
"  Do  you  mean  he  would  answer — that  he  would  come 
in  here  ?" 

"  If  I  may  give  my  word  that  no  one  shall  touch  or 
harm  him,  he'll  come — if  alive  and  able." 

For  a  moment  the  general  was  silent.  It  was  a  grave 
question.  In  his  eyes  and  those  of  his  officers,  'Tonio 
stood  attainted  practically  with  treason.  He  had  de 
serted  in  face  of  the  enemy,  joined  forces  with  the 
enemy,  shot  as  an  enemy,  conspired  and  acted  as  an 
enemy.  He  deserved  to  be  hunted  and  shot  down  with 
out  trial,  without  mercy.  Yet  here  was  this  young 
soldier,  who  had  known  him  best  and  longest,  full  of 
boundless  faith  in  him,  demanding  safe  conduct  for  him 
on  the  honor  of  an  officer  and  gentleman.  If  Archer 
gave  his  word  it  would  be  flying  in  the  face  of  his  entire 
command — what  there  was  left  of  it,  at  least — and 
Archer's  word  was  a  thing  not  to  be  lightly  given.  "  I 
must  think  of  this  awhile,7'  said  he.  "  It  is  a  big 
proposition.  You  think  you  can  reach  him  ?" 

"  By  night  or  day,  sir,  either ;  but  it  would  have  to 
be  from  the  top  of  Squadron  Peak." 

It  was  then  late  on  Friday  afternoon,  the  fifth  day 
of  what  might  be  called  the  siege.  Not  a  signal  had 
come  from  without,  not  a  sign  from  either  command,  not 
a  symptom  of  surrounding  Indian ;  yet  a  little  party  sent 
to  search  the  rookery  down  stream,  where  Case  declared 
he'd  been  entertaining  the  ghost  of  'Patchie  Sanchez, 
came  back  reporting  that  fresh  moccasin  and  mule  tracks 
were  plainly  visible  about  the  premises  and  at  the  neigh 
boring  ford;  also  that  the  mule  tracks  led  awa^  back 


TONIO,  SON   OF   THE  SIERRAS     163 

of  the  Picacho,  as  everybody  persisted  in  calling  the 
peak — in  spite  of  the  fact  that  from  the  north  it  pre 
sented  no  sharp  point  to  the  skies,  but  rather  a  bold  and 
rounded  poll.  Squadron  Peak  was  more  "  sonorous  and 
appropriate/'  said  the  trooper  who  so  named  it,  but,  now 
that  troopers  were  scarce  at  Almy,  there  were  none  to 
do  it  that  reverence. 

Old  Sanchez — Jose — the  former  proprietor,  had  dis 
appeared  entirely,  he  and  his  brace  of  henchmen,  after 
somewhere  digging  a  treasure  pit  in  the  sand  and  therein 
"  caching  "  their  store  of  mescal,  aguardiente,  and  cer 
tain  other  illicit  valuables.  It  was  conjectured  that  he 
had  fled  to  the  Verde  Valley  and  taken  refuge  at  Mc 
Dowell  until  the  storm  blew  over.  But  Craney  was  more 
than  curious  as  to  Case's  guest,  the  ghost,  and  by  Friday 
Case  was  sober  and  solemn  and  sick  enough  to  be  cross- 
questioned  without  show  of  resentment.  Craney  went 
so  far  as  to  ask  Case  wouldn't  he  like  a  little  whiskey 
to  steady  his  nerves — a  cocktail  to  aid  his  appetite  and 
stir  his  stomach  ?  "  Like  it,"  said  Case,  "  you  bet  I 
would — which  is  why  I  won't  take  it.  Three  days' 
liquor,  two  days'  taper,  one  day  suffer,  then  the  water 
wagon  for  a  spell.  Thank  you  all  the  same,  Mr.  Craney. 
What  can  I  do  for  you  without  the  drink  ?" 

But  when  Craney  mentioned  Sanchez,  the  ghost  and 
the  drinking  bout  by  night  at  the  rookery,  Case  said 
he  must  have  been  nigher  to  jimjams  than  he'd  got  in 
a  year.  "  I  never  saw  any  ghost,"  said  he,  and  Craney 
had  to  give  it  up,  and  report  his  failure  to  the  command 
ing  officer. 


164     TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS 

"  Ever  try  threatening  him  with  discharge  ?"  asked 
Bucketts,  by  way  of  being  helpful. 

"  Ever  try  ?  I  don't  have  to  try !  The  one  time  I 
started  in  on  that  lay  he  never  let  me  finish;  said  all 
right,  he'd  go  just  as  soon  as  he'd  balanced  the  books. 
Then,  by  gad,  it  was  all  I  could  do  to  get  him  to  stay. 
He  is  the  most  independent  damn  man  I  ever  met.  Says 
he  knows  he's  a  drunkard  and  nuisance  one  week  out  of 
four,  and  don't  wonder  I  want  to  discharge  him.  Dis 
charge  him  ?  I  couldn't  get  along  without  him !  Any 
time  he  wants  a  better  job  and  plenty  of  society  all  he's 
got  to  do  is  go  to  Prescott.  Discharge  him !  All  I'm 
afraid  of  is  he'll  discharge  himself!" 

So  Bucketts  dropped  the  subject  and  he  and  Strong 
went  to  report  non-success  to  Archer  just  as  the  sun  was 
going  down  and  the  peak,  in  lone  grandeur,  loomed  up 
dazzling  above  the  black  drapery  about  its  base,  and 
Bonner,  pacing  up  and  down  with  his  much-honored 
chief,  saw  the  gloom  deepen  in  his  deep-set  eyes.  Only 
Lilian  seemed  able  to  win  a  smile  from  him,  as  she 
came  and  took  him  by  the  arm  and  led  him  away  to 
dinner. 

Darkness  settled  down  apace.  The  moon  rose  late  and 
the  stars  were  holding  high  carnival  in  consequence,  for 
the  skies  were  gorgeous  in  their  deck  of  gold.  Mrs. 
Stannard  was  dining  with  the  Archers  en  famille,  as 
she  did  now  almost  every  evening,  for  the  Archers  would 
so  have  it,  and  Archer  had  been  talking  of  Harris's 
proposition,  and  his  determined  stand  for  'Tonio.  Mrs. 
Archer  shook  her  pretty  head  in  negation.  She  could  not 
see  how  any  one  who  distrusted  her  general  could  him- 


TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS     165 

self  be  loyal.  She  had  said  the  same  of  Secretary  Stan- 
ton  during  the  war,  for  one  of  that  iron  master's  most 
masterly  convictions  was  that  every  soldier,  Southern 
born — even  such  as  Thomas — must  of  necessity  be  a 
Southern  sympathizer.  'Tonio  must  needs  be  a  traitor 
since  he  avoided  sight  of,  or  speech  with,  her  soldier 
who  could  do  no  wrong.  And  if  Mrs.  Archer  believed 
in  'Tonio,  on  her  husband's  account,  what  must  have 
been  Lilian's  conviction  ?  she  who  had  both  father  and 
lover — father  and  the  husband  soon  to  be,  for  of  that 
Mrs.  Archer  had  now  no  earthly  doubt — the  two  men 
beyond  all  others  combined  who  were  dearest  to  Lilian 
on  earth,  both  of  them  inimical  to  'Tonio,  one  of  them 
wellnigh  his  victim.  It  was  Mrs.  Stannard  who  lis 
tened  in  silence.  She  had  longer  known  the  Apache-Mo- 
have,  and  as  between  'Tonio  and  Willett  it  might  well 
be  a  story  with  two  sides. 

They  had  finished  their  coffee  and  were  just  coming 
forth  upon  the  veranda  into  the  exquisite  evening  air, 
and,  as  bidden  by  her  father,  Lilian  had  just  begun  to 
tune  her  guitar,  when  across  the  parade  among  the  men 
seated  along  the  low  front  of  the  barracks  there  was 
sudden  start,  sudden  rush,  and,  from  up  the  line  of 
officers'  quarters  not  many  doors  away,  came  agonized 
cry  for  help.  Archer  sprang  to  his  feet  and  started, 
but  Mrs.  Archer,  in  a  paroxysm  of  fear,  thinking  only 
of  Indians  and  treachery,  seized  him  by  the  arm,  clung 
to  and  held  him.  Mrs.  Stannard  sprang  within  the  hall 
and  back  with  Archer's  revolver  which,  without  a  word, 
she  thrust  into  his  hand.  Then  all  three  together 
started,  for  while  fifty  men  came  tearing  headlong 


166     TONIO,  SON   OF  THE  SIERRAS 

across  the  sandy  level,  making  straight  for  the  adju 
tant's  quarters,  Lilian,  their  little  Lilian — the  silent, 
sad-eyed,  anxious  child  of  the  days  and  days  gone  by — 
heading  everybody,  was  flying  like  a  white-winged  bird, 
straight  along  the  line,  and  when  the  father  reached 
her  she  had  thrown  herself  upon  a  heap  of  burning, 
smouldering  bedding,  thrashing  it  with  a  wet  blanket 
snatched  from  the  olla,  and  then,  with  her  own  fair, 
white  hands,  was  beating  out  the  few  sparks  that  re 
mained  about  the  sleeve  and  shoulder  of  a  soaked  and 
dishevelled  gown,  and  brushing  others  from  the  hair  and 
face  of  an  unheroic,  swathed  and  dripping  figure — 
Harold  Willett  in  the  midst  of  the  wreck  of  his  cot, 
while  Blitz,  the  striker,  aided  by  Wettstein  and  the 
doctor's  man,  were  stamping  and  swearing  and  tearing 
things  to  bits  in  the  effort  to  down  other  incipient  blazes. 
Between  them  they  had  dragged  Willett  from  the  midst 
of  the  flames  and  drenched  him  with  a  cataract  from 
the  olla.  The  rush  of  the  men  from  the  barracks  made 
short  work  of  the  fire,  but  when  Mrs.  Archer  and  Mrs. 
Stannard,  with  throbbing  hearts,  bent  over  the  scorched 
and  smoking  ruin  on  the  south  porch,  a  tousled  brown 
head,  with  ghastly  face,  was  clasped  in  Lilian's  arms, 
pillowed  on  Lilian's  fair,  white  bosom.  Willett  had 
fainted  from  fright,  pain  and  reaction,  and  the  un 
heroic,  untried,  unfearing  girl  had  blistered  her  own 
fair  hands,  her  own  soft,  rounded,  clasping  arms,  yet 
saw  and  felt  nothing  but  dread  for  his  suffering  and 
joy  for  his  safety.  Even  the  mother  for  a  moment 
could  not  take  her  rescued  darling  from  that  fond,  fear 
less,  impassioned  embrace.  All  in  that  desperate  in- 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS     167 

stant  the  veil  of  virgin  shame  had  burned  away.  In 
the  fierce  heat  and  shock  and  peril  the  latent  love  force 
had  burst  its  bonds,  the  budding  lily  had  blossomed 
into  womanhood. 

And  upon  that  picture,  pallid,  weak  and  suffering, 
another  neighbor,  another  pain-stricken  young  soldier 
gazed  in  silence,  then  turned  unobtrusively  away. 
There  was  no  one  to  help  him  back  to  the  reclining 
chair  from  which  he  had  been  startled  at  the  almost 
frenzied  shriek  of  alarm.  There  was  no  further  talk — 
no  thought  of  signals  that  night ;  Archer  had  had  enough 
of  fire.  They  bore  the  reviving  officer,  presently,  to 
a  vacant  room  in  Stannard's  quarters,  and  Lilian  was 
led  to  her  own.  There  were  bandages  about  both  hands 
and  arms  when  next  morning  she  appeared  upon  the 
gallery.  They  hid  the  red  ravages  on  the  fair,  white 
skin,  but  what  was  there  to  veil  the  radiant  light  that 
shone  in  her  eyes,  the  burning  blushes  that  mantled  her 
soft  and  rounded  cheeks  ?  Archer  took  her  to  his  heart 
and  kissed  her  and  turned  to  his  duty  with  a  sigh.  Mrs. 
Archer  clung  to  and  hovered  about  her,  silent,  for  what 
was  there  to  say  ?  Mrs.  Stannard  came  over,  all  smiles 
and  sunshine,  to  announce  that  "  He  "  had  passed  a 
comfortable  night,  and  "  His  "  first  waking  thoughts 
and  words  were  for  her,  as  indeed  they  should  have  been, 
and,  so  far  as  audible  words  were  concerned,  they  pos 
sibly  were.  What  else  could  Mrs.  Stannard  have  said 
when  she  saw  that  winsome,  yet  appealing  little  face  ? 

And  in  such  wise  was  our  Lilian  wooed ;  in  such  wise 
was  she  won.  Contrary  to  Bentley's  wishes,  Willett  had 
essayed  to  smoke,  and  so  set  his  bed  afire.  Contrary  to 


168     TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

all  convention,  the  love  of  the  maiden  had  been  the 
first  to  manifest  itself  to  public  eye,  but  Willett  man 
fully  rose  to  the  occasion.  In  the  midst  of  anxiety,  un 
certainty  and  danger  there  beamed  one  ray,  at  least, 
of  radiant,  unshadowed,  buoyant  hope  and  bliss  and 
shy  delight.  Lilian  Archer  envied  no  girl  on  the  face 
of  the  globe,  no  white-robed  seraph  in  heaven;  and  for 
her  sake  others,  too,  strove  hard  to  hope,  to  help,  to 
shower  good  wishes  and  congratulation. 

"  But  to  think  of  my  little  girl  in  love,"  said  Archer, 
with  brimming  eyes.  "  Why,  you — you  won't  be  nine 
teen!" 

"  And  mother  was  but  seventeen  when  she  married 
you,"  softly  laughed  Lilian,  snuggling  to  his  side. 

"  And  Mr.  Willett  so  far  from  his  captaincy," 
sighed  her  mother. 

"  Much  nearer  than  father  was  to  even  a  first  lieu 
tenancy  when  you  married  him,"  was  the  joyous  answer. 
"He  was  only  a  second  lieutenant  by  brevet." 

"Well,"  said  Mrs.  Archer,  "it  seems  different — 
somehow." 

And  so  it  seemed  to  us.  '"  All  too  brief  a  wooing," 
said  poor  Archer.  "God  send  her  longer  wedded 
bliss!" 


CHAPTEE   XVI. 

MOKEOVEK,  as  some  one  said  in  speaking  of  the 
sudden  engagement,  "  It  came  about  on  a  Friday  even 
ing,  didn't  it  ?  "  And  then,  too,  when  people  were  talk 
ing  it  over  a  few  weeks  later,  as  Mrs.  Archer  said,  "  it 
seemed  different."  Soldier  folk  sometimes  have  super 
stitions  as  surely  as  the  sailor  man  is  never  without 
his,  and  a  start  on  a  voyage  of  love  life,  clearing  port 
of  a  Friday  evening,  had  its  inauspicious  side.  But 
for  the  mishap  that  suddenly  enveloped  the  happy  man 
in  flames  at  a  moment  when  he  was  sprawled  on  his 
back  with  his  whole  right  side,  as  it  were,  in  a  sling, 
Mr.  Harold  Willett  might  indeed  have  returned  to  duty 
and  department  headquarters  with  no  other  encum 
brance  than  a  mortgaged  pay  account,  and  it  was  not  fair 
to  Lilian  to  speak  of  her  engagement  as  "  announced  " 
that  Friday  evening;  but  in  her  wondrous  happiness 
she  could  find  no  fault  with  anything  about  it.  It  was 
all  just  perfect,  just  heavenly  (where  they  neither  give 
nor  are  given  in  marriage,  which  possibly  accounts,  as 
said  our  cynic,  for  so  much  that  is  heavenly  about  it). 
As  an  engagement,  in  fact,  it  did  not  exist  until  four 
days  later,  after  other  and  equally  important  things 
had  occurred,  and  we  have  merely  taken  Lilian's  point 
of  view,  and  left  them  out  of  that  chapter  and  all  con 
sideration,  as  she  did,  so  far  as  we  are  concerned,  in 


170     TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

order  to  have  it  all  over  and  done  with.  But  of  course 
there  had  to  be  time  for  Willett  to  recover  from  the 
effects  of  the  shock,  to  be  clothed  in  his  right  mind 
and  something  less  fragmentary  than  the  relics  of  a 
robe  de  nuit,  and  a  day  in  which  to  realize  what  had 
taken  place.  (I  shrewdly  suspect  that  our  good  friend 
Mrs.  Stannard  saw  to  it  that  Mr.  Willett  was  informed 
of  what  Lilian  had  done  and  suffered  on  his  account, 
if  she  did  not  dilate  on  what  Lilian  had  betrayed.) 
And  then  came  his  very  properly  worded  plea  to  be 
allowed  to  see  her  and  thank  her;  and  when  there  was 
equally  proper  demur  on  Mrs.  Archer's  part,  Willett 
made  his  avowal  in  what  even  the  mother  held  to  be 
manly  and  convincing  fashion,  for,  now  that  she  knew 
that  her  darling's  heart  was  gone — that  it  was  too  late 
to  avert  the  inevitable — mother-like,  she  strove  to  see 
with  her  darling's  eyes  all  that  was  good  in  him,  and 
there  was  so  very  much  that  was  good-looking.  She 
never  even  hinted  to  her  husband,  much  less  to  Lilian, 
that  she  had  heard  the  paragon  most  vehemently  ac 
cused  of  most  unmanly  and  unbecoming  conduct  (for 
what  was  Mr.  Case,  after  all,  but  an  irresponsible  in 
ebriate?),  and  she  saw  that  her  daughter's  happiness 
was  wrapped  up  in  this  brilliant  and  most  presentable 
young  soldier.  Willett  certainly  gave  many  a  promise  of 
eminence  in  his  career  and  profession,  so  she  set  herself 
at  once  to  work  to  talk  the  general  into  complaisance,  and 
he,  who  loved  her  with  all  his  heart,  and  believed  her 
the  best,  the  bravest,  fondest,  truest  wife  in  all  the  army 
(as  indeed  she  might  have  been  without  being  the 
wisest),  and  who  could  deny]  Lilian  nothing  from  the 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS     171 

time  she  turned  his  best  silken  sash  into  a  swing  for 
herself  and  Wauwataycha  Two  Bears,  her  tiny  Sioux 
playmate,  till  now  that  she  had  set  her  heart  on  one 
Harold  Willett  for  a  husband,  broke  down  and  sur 
rendered  as  ordered.  But  there  was  that  in  the  old 
soldier's  face  as  he  took  Willett' s  hand  that  made  the 
junior  wince  more  than  did  the  grip,  which  was  mild 
enough.  "  She  will  be  just  such  another  wife  as  is  her 
blessed  mother,"  said  Archer.  "  Be  good  and  true  to 
her,  Willett." 

"  I  will,  so  help  me  God !  "  said  Willett  solemnly, 
and  then,  at  least,  he  meant  it. 

There  had  been  an  awkward  little  conference,  an 
impromptu  affair,  at  the  mess  the  morning  after  the 
alarm  of  fire.  Willett  stock  had  been  running  down 
before  that  episode,  and  went  "  plumb  out  of  sight " 
for  several  hours.  It  was  held  by  Bonner,  Bucketts, 
Briggs  and  Strong  a  most  womanish  thing  on  his  part 
to  have  raised  such  a  row  and  then  "  wilted."  It  was 
Bentley,  the  most  disgusted  man  at  the  post,  who  now 
came  to  the  rescue.  "  He  was  dumped  on  the  porch 
like  a  sack  of  potatoes,"  said  he,  "  and  probably  suffered 
exquisite  pain,  let  alone  the  burns  and  the  shock." 
Then,  bunglingly,  as  bachelors  will,  and  bachelors  two 
of  them  were,  they  began  to  talk  of  the  revelation  that 
met  their  eyes  and  what  it  portended.  !Nb  one,  as  yet, 
had  told  "  the  Old  Man  "  of  Willett's  night  at  the  store, 
and  now  no  man  would  do  it.  Bygones  were  bygones. 
Willett  would  be  up  in  a  week  or  so,  the  better,  per 
haps,  for  enforced  rest  and  abstinence,  and  now,  of 
course,  there  could  and  would  be  no  more  of — of  that 


172     TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

sort  of  thing,  and  all  his  better  traits  would  shine  by 
contrast  with  his  probably  temporary  lapse  into  frivol 
ity.  Even  then,  however,  they  wondered  what  Harris 
would  think,  and  speculated  as  to  what  he  would  say. 
Bucketts  had  not  guessed  amiss  when  he  said  there  was 
no  love  lost  between  the  classmates.  Bucketts,  and  all, 
had  seen  how  much  both  the  young  men  had  been  at 
tracted  by  Lilian's  grace  and  beauty,  and  the  sweet, 
girlish  freshness  that  proved  such  a  charm.  Bucketts, 
and  all,  had  been  in,  as  usual,  to  see  Harris,  and  found 
him,  as  he  said,  a  trifle  set  back  by  the  excitement,  and 
therefore  rather  more  grave  and  quiet  even  than  usual, 
but  they  said  no  word  of  Lilian  and — possibilities.  He 
knew.  Strong  had  seen  him  when  he  came,  and  looked, 
and  stood  inert  one  moment  there,  unable  to  be  of  use, 
and  had  turned  slowly  back  to  his  room  under  Bentley's 
roof.  Everybody  knew  it  could  not  be  more  than  a 
day  or  two  before  the  affair  would  be  announced  as  an 
engagement,  and  while  every  man  felt  that  Willett  had 
won  a  prize  far  beyond  his  deserts,  there  was  not  one 
that  felt  like  tendering  congratulation. 

But,  as  we  said,  there  were  other  and  important  mat 
ters  to  claim  the  attention  of  the  garrison,  and  just  an 
hour  before  sunset  that  evening  came  the  first.  Case's 
week  was  up,  and,  sharp  on  time  at  noon  on  Saturday, 
Case  came  forth  from  his  room,  tubbed,  trimmed  and 
shaved,  went  silently  to  his  desk  and  then  turned  to 
Mr.  Craney  to  ask  what  had  become  of  the  mail. 

"  Nary  mail/'  said  Craney.  "  "Not  a  cuss  got  in 
or  out  for  over  a  week." 

"  Didn't  Sanchez  bring — anything  from  Prescott  ?  " 


TONIO,  SON   OF  THE  SIERRAS     173 

f?:  !N~o thing  but  his  ghost  has  even  been  heard  of. 
tF;>M  told  of  that." 

<:  I  ?  Do  you  mean  he  hasn't  been  here — hasn't  told 
you  what's  happened  ?  "  And  Case's  eyes  were  looking 
wild  again. 

"  What  has  happened,  Case  ?  By  gad,  if  you  know, 
out  with  it,  for  no  mother's  son  of  us  here  has  heard  a 
thing  for  a  week,  and  Sanchez  has  never  set  foot  on  the 
post." 

"  Then  send  for  Mr.  Strong,  quick,"  said  Case,  sink 
ing  into  a  chair,  the  sweat  of  weakness  and  distress  of 
mind  showing  instantly  on  his  brow,  rare  symptom  in 
Arizona.  And  then,  while  somebody  ran  up  to  the  post 
to  summon  the  adjutant,  Case,  pressing  his  hands  to 
his  .head,  began  striding  up  and  down  the  low-ceilinged, 
half -darkened  room.  "  Wait,"  he  said,  as  Craney 
and  Watts,  excited  and  anxious,  would  have  pressed 
him  to  begin.  "  Wait.  Give  me  just  three  fingers," 
and  the  whiskey  was  handed  forthwith.  He  downed 
it  in  two  gulps,  and  presently  the  color  began  to  come 
back  to  his  cheeks,  and  then  Strong  came  hurrying 
in.  "  Is  Mr.  Harris  still  here  ? — and  that  othe»  speci 
men — Mr.  Willett  ?  "  Case  demanded  on  the  instant. 
"  That's  well,  anyhow  I  And  the  cavalry  still  out  ? 
That's  bad.  We  want  'em  here,  lucre,  I  tell  you,  and 
quick,  too!  Gentlemen,  this  is  no  cock-and-bull  story. 
There's  enough  Apaches  back  of  us  here  in  the  Mazat- 
zal  to  head  off  everybody  from  Prescott  or  McDowell. 
They've  killed  three  parties — a  dozen  soldiers,  perhaps 
— already,  and  they've  cut  off  Prescott  and  Date  Creek 
and  Sandy,  and  murdered  every  courier  that  tried  to 


174     TONIO,  SON   OF   THE  SIERRAS 

get  through.  They  headed  off  and  killed  the  runners 
sent  to  find  General  Crook  and  give  him  the  news,  but 
worse  than  all,  they've  been  down  here  begging  the 
Sierra  Blancas,  and  the  bands  of  Deltchay  and  Eski- 
minzin — nearly  eight  hundred  they'd  make — to  come 
up  here  and  get  between  Turner  and  the  post,  eat  him 
up  in  the  canons — he's  had  a  lot  killed  and  wounded 
already — and  then  turn  on  us.  How  do  I  know  it  ?  " 
he  demanded,  in  the  midst  of  his  excited  harangue. 
"  Sanchez  told  me — 'Patchie  Sanchez,  the  runner,  last 
night.  ~No — night  before,  or  some  night.  Right  here, 
I  thought;  right  here  where  you  all  heard!  He  said 
they'd  ordered  him  ironed  in  Prescott  for  telling  the 
truth,  and  he  said  the  sergeant  had  orders  to  flog  him 
with  a  bull-whip,  and  he  killed  the  man  that  tried  to 
flog  him.  You  mean  you  didn't  hear  this  ?  You  didn't 
know  it  ?  You  didn't  see  him  ? — that  I've  been  dream 
ing  as  well  as  drunk?  By  God,  drunk  or  dreaming, 
it's  so !  and  that's  why  Jose  Sanchez  and  the  others  lit 
out  for  McDowell !  They  were  afraid  to  stay.  'Patchie 
says  Deltchay  and  Skim  are  coming,  sure,  whether  the 
Sierra  Blancas  join  or  not.  All  the  cavalry  are  up 
on  the  Black  Mesa  'cept  Turner's  troop,  and  now's  their 
turn.  Call  me  drunk,  crazy,  mad,  anything  you  like, 
but  tell  the  general  what  I  say !  Tell  him  to  get  ready; 
to  fight  like  hell!" 

And  so  it  would  seem  Case,  the  bookkeeper,  had 
"  inside  information,"  and  so  it  happened  that,  within 
an  hour  after  sunset,  once  again  the  gray-haired  com 
mander  and  the  wounded  subaltern  were  in  conference, 
and  Case's  strange  story  was  told  in  full.  "  There's 


"  Keep  watch  now  all  around,  especially  east  and  southeast." 

Page  175 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS     175 

more  than  enough  in  it  to  demand  our  warning  Turner/' 
said  Harris.  "  Can  you  get  me  up  to  Squadron  Peak 
—to-night  ? " 

Just  at  tattoo  the  old-fashioned,  yellow  ambulance, 
drawn  by  a  brace  of  mules,  backed  up  at  Bentley's 
quarters,  and  Harris  was  carefully  lifted  aboard.  The 
general,  with  Strong  and  Bonner,  stood  at  hand  to  say 
godspeed.  "  Promise  him  safe  conduct,"  said  the  com 
mander,  as  they  drove  away,  and  Harris  touched  his 
hat  in  acknowledgment.  Briggs,  with  twenty  stout  foot 
soldiers,  awaited  them  at  the  abandoned  ranch.  The 
doctor  and  two  attendants  accompanied  him.  The  road 
for  nearly  four  miles  lay  along  the  sandy  flats,  then 
went  boring  westward  into  the  foothills,  while  a  little 
worn  branch  turned  off  to  the  peak.  Two-thirds  of  the 
way  to  the  top  the  mules  were  able  to  pull  the  jolting 
vehicle,  and  from  thence  half  a  dozen  brawny  arms  bore 
the  young  soldier  on  a  stretcher  to  the  summit.  It  was 
then  after  eleven,  and  the  moon  still  behind  the  Mogol- 
lon,  lowering  black  against  the  silvering  skies  full  forty 
miles  to  the  eastward.  Already  there  was  sufficient  light 
to  guide  them,  and  a  sergeant  led  on  to  a  point  where, 
surrounded  by  knee-high  rocks,  was  a  little  blackened 
space  where  in  bygone  days  many  a  signal  fire  had 
blazed,  and  here  the  men  tossed  the  tinder,  the  pine 
cones  and  dead  branches  they  had  gathered  on  the  climb. 
A  match  was  applied.  All  crouched  or  stooped  among 
the  rocks,  as  the  flames  presently  leaped  on  high,  and 
gave  ear  to  the  quiet  orders  of  the  young  soldier,  prac 
tically  in  command.  "  Keep  watch  now,  all  round, 
especially  east  and  south-east.  It  may  be  ten  minutes 


176     TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

before  you  get  an  answer,  and  there  may  come  a  dozen. 
More  fuel  may  be  needed/'  whereat  half  a  dozen  dark 
forms  silently  backed  away  down  the  slope,  and  all  men 
waited  and  watched.  Harris,  with  one  arm  and  shoul 
der  still  bandaged,  and  obviously  weak,  sat  grasping 
at  the  corner  a  folded  blanket  and  busily  coaching 
Briggs,  who  listened,  absorbed.  Ten,  twelve,  fourteen 
the  minutes  rolled  by.  The  silvery  sheen  spread  higher 
over  the  eastward  sky.  The  crest  of  the  distant  Mesa 
was  just  fringing  with  dazzling  white,  when  two  voices 
at  once  exclaimed :  "  There  you  are,  sir !  "  And  afar 
over  to  the  south-east,  the  direction  of  Tonto  Creek,  a 
little  ruddy  spark  appeared  through  the  gloom,  and  a 
moment  later  still  another  was  made  out,  farther  to 
the  left.  In  twenty  minutes  three  were  in  sight. 
"  Anywhere  from  fifteen  to  twenty  miles  away,"  said 
Harris,  as  he  studied  them  with  the  signal  glass,  "  and," 
he  continued,  "  I  looked  for  one  much  nearer." 

"  There  you  have  it,  sir !  "  And  almost  opposite 
them,  it  seemed,  and  lower,  straight  away  to  the  east, 
so  near  they  could  almost  mark  the  waving  of  the  flame, 
a  fourth  blaze  burst  into  view. 

"  That's  more  like  it!"  said  Harris.  "  Now  the 
blanket.  Give  me  a  boost,  corporal,"  and  with  that, 
supported  by  the  strong  arm  of  one  of  the  soldiers, 
he  stepped  upon  the  nearest  rock,  the  blanket  in  his 
left  hand.  Briggs  grabbed  the  opposite  corner  with  his 
right,  and  the  next  moment  a  woollen  curtain  swung 
flat  between  the  fires. 

"  Now,  Briggs,  up !  "  and  the  hidden  red  eye  was 
suddenly  unmasked  and  glared  out  over  the  east. 


TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS     177 

"  Down !  "  and  all  toward  the  opposite  fire  was  darkness 
again.  Twice  more  was  it  raised  and  lowered.  Then 
a  five  seconds'  pause.  Then  twice  again.  "  Thirty- 
two/'  said  Harris.  "  'Tonio's  old  signal.  E"ow  watch 
for  the  answers !  "  From  those  at  a  distance  there 
came  no  sign.  The  flare  at  each  was  steady.  From 
the  nearmost,  almost  instantly,  came  the  desired  re 
sponse.  It  suddenly  disappeared,  and  Harris,  at  sec 
ond  intervals,  counted  low,  "  One,  two,  three."  Then 
came  the  red  glow  again,  just  a  moment.  Then  dark 
ness  only  for  two  seconds.  Then  light  again.  "  It  is 
'Tonio,"  said  he,  "  and  that's  his  call  to  me.  Now, 
Briggs,  again !  Slowly  this  time !  " 

And  very  slowly  was  the  blanket  raised  and  lowered 
twice.  Then  came  two  or  three  quicker  movements. 
Then  the  blaze  spoke  untrammelled,  and  all  eyes  were 
on  'Tonio's  torch,  and  they  who  had  heard  ill  of  him — 
had  doubted  him — found  themselves  oddly  drawn  to 
him  across  the  intervening  miles  of  darkness.  Twice, 
thrice  slowly  his  light,  too,  was  curtained.  Then 
for  a  moment  it  burned  clearer;  then  seemed  suddenly 
to  sputter  out.  Within  a  few  seconds,  far  more  swiftly 
than  it  rose,  the  signal  fire  vanished  from  sight,  and 
Harris  stepped  quietly  down.  "  That's  all,"  said  he, 
yet  the  doctor,  at  least,  could  read  the  suppressed  ex 
ultation  in  his  tone.  Then,  seeing  inquiry  and  disap 
pointment,  both,  in  the  eager  eyes  about  him,  the  young 
officer  added,  "  He  understands.  He's  coming,  or  send 
ing,  in." 

"  Did  you  promise  him  safe  conduct  ?  "  asked  Bent- 
ley. 


178     TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS 

"  He  did  not  ask  it,"  was  the  answer. 

Two  hours  later,  once  more  safe  at  the  post,  the 
doctor  had  stowed  his  weary  patient  in  bed,  renewed 
the  dressing  and  bandages,  and  was  bidding  him  try 
to  sleep,  but  Harris  smiled.  "  You'll  need  me  to  trans 
late,"  said  he.  "  The  general's  message  to  Turner  is 
being  written  now.  Let  us  finish  this  while  we're 
about  it." 

Sure  enough.  Toward  half -past  one  the  sentries  on 
Numbers  Six  and  Seven  set  up  a  shout  for  the  cor 
poral  of  the  guard,  and  an  Indian  girl,  trembling  a  bit, 
was  led  to  the  office,  and  half  the  garrison  knew  that 
word  was  in  from  'Tonio.  The  general  took  his  mes 
senger  kindly  by  the  hand.  Food  and  chocolate  were 
in  readiness  at  the  Mess,  but  she  shook  her  head. 
"  Capitan  Chiquito,"  she  insisted,  and  then  was  con 
ducted  up  the  line,  and,  shrinking  not  a  little,  was  led 
into  the  doctor's  quarters.  There,  at  sight  of  Harris, 
she  instantly  stepped  to  his  bedside,  knelt,  and  taking 
his  weary  hand,  placed  it  on  her  head.  He  whom  'Tonio 
held  in  reverence,  his  followers  could  but  blindly  obey. 

To  his  question  in  her  own  tongue,  "  Where  is 
'Tonio  ? "  she  answered,  "  Toward  the  moon,  now  two 
hands  high.  When  it  is  straight  above  Pancha  can 
reach  him  again."  "Is  'Tonio  well?"  "'Tonio  is 
well,  but — others  brought  Pancha.  They  say  they  are 
afraid  that  soldiers  shoot.  They  await  Pancha's  re 
turning." 

Evidently,  despite  the  kindness  in  every  face,  the 
girl  still  feared  the  white  man  and  wished  to  be  gone. 
"  He  has  sent  her,  general,"  said  Harris.  "  Whatever 


TONIO,  SON   OF  THE  SIERRAS     179 

you  wish  to  send  now  to  Turner  will  go  through,  if 
'Tonio  is  not  killed  in  the  attempt." 

And  so,  with  unexpected  burden  of  food  and  gifts 
and  with  a  brief  despatch  to  Turner,  bidding  him  has 
ten  with  his  entire  force,  the  dusky,  fleet-footed  daugh 
ter  of  the  mountain  was  led  back  to  the  stream,  went 
bounding  lightly  across  from  stone  to  stone,  and  disap 
peared  among  the  shadows  toward  the  east. 

"  And  now,"  said  Harris,  "  Deltchay  and  Skiminzin 
may  come  as  soon  as  they  like.  Turner  will  get  here  in 
time,  and  then — you  may  judge  as  to  'Tonio." 

And  this  was  Saturday  night,  or  rather  Sunday  morn 
ing,  not  yet  one  full  week  since  Willett  was  brought 
in  swearing  he  saw  'Tonio  take  deliberate  aim  at  him, 
although  only  the  horse  was  shot,  and  as  matters  stood 
in  the  gross  and  scope  of  garrison  understanding,  the 
weight  of  presumptive  evidence  was  against  the  Apache, 
and  there  was  more  to  come. 


CHAPTEK   XVII. 

As  was  to  be  expected,  Lieutenant  Harris  was  some 
what  worse  when  time  came  for  inspection  Sunday 
morning,  but  Bentley  said  complete  rest  would  soon 
restore  him.  The  other  interesting  invalid,  Lieutenant 
Willett,  was  correspondingly  better,  and  was  to  sit  up 
awhile  later  in  the  day.  Inspection  was  held  under 
arms  and  in  fighting  kit  instead  of  full  dress — the  two 
companies  looking  like  a  pair  of  scanty  platoons,  so 
heavy  was  the  drain  for  guard  duty.  From  earliest 
dawn  lookouts  had  been  stationed  on  top  of  the  ad 
jutant's  office  at  the  south,  and  the  hospital  at  the  north 
edge  of  the  parade,  Bucketts  having  built  for  them  a 
little  wooden  platform,  with  bench,  shelf  and  sunshade, 
and  there,  with  signal-service  glasses,  they  scoured  the 
barren  wilds  in  every  direction  for  sign  of  coming 
friend  or  foe. 

It  was  eleven  o'clock  when  Bentley  came  forth  with 
Mrs.  Stannard  from  his  morning  visit  to  Willett.  "  Oh, 
he's  doing  as  well  as  an  overfed,  under-trained  animal 
has  any  right  to,"  said  he,  in  response  to  the  inquiry 
in  her  soft  blue  eyes.  "  I  still  think  some  men  have 
too  much  luck  in  this  world  of  ours.  Here's  Willett, 
who  doesn't  begin  to  deserve  it,  getting  everything  that 
is  good,  and  Harris,  who  deserves  all  the  good  that  the 
army  affords,  gets  all  the  hard  knocks  and  setbacks. 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS     181 

Here's  Willett  swearing  that  'Tonic's  a  renegade,  hos 
tile,  spy  and  a  traitor,  and  Harris  convinced  that  he 
is  stanch  and  loyal — that  Willett  must  be  mistaken  in 
saying  he  shot  at  him,  and  though  everything  I  know 
of  the  Apaches  or  ever  heard,  and  every  bit  of  evidence 
is  overwhelmingly  in  favor  of  Willett's  statement,  just 
from  what  I've  seen  of  these  two  men  I'm  deciding 
with  Harris." 

"  You  don't — feel  confidence  in  Mr.  Willett's — judg 
ment  ? "  she  asked. 

For  a  moment  he  hesitated,  then  turned  and  squarely 
faced  her.  "  I  don't  feel  confidence  in  Mr.  Willett. 
There,  Mrs.  Stannard!  There  are  not  ten  women  in 
the  army  to  whom  I'd  trust  myself  to  speak  of  this — or 
five  women  out  of  it — but  I  am  not  happy  over  the  way 
things  are  going." 

"  Don't  you  think  he'll — learn  to  appreciate  her  ?  " 

"  He  shouldn't  have  to  learn !  He  should  see  it  all 
at  a  glance,  and  thank  God  for  the  unmerited  blessing." 

"  Perhaps  he  does,"  said  she,  ever  gentle,  helpful, 
hopeful.  "  It  is  lovely  the  way  he  speaks  to  her — and 
I'm  quite  eager  to  see  them  this  afternoon." 

What  woman  would  not  be  ?  What  man  would  not 
have  been  at  his  best  at  such  a  time,  under  such  cir 
cumstances  ?  The  realization  that  he  had  won  the  fer 
vent  love  of  that  fresh,  pure,  exquisite  young  heart  was 
enough  to  thrill  even  a  nature  so  utterly  selfish  as  Wil 
lett's.  It  is  the  shallowest  soul  that  most  readily  thrills, 
and  what  could  be  sweeter  than  the  shy,  yet  rapturous 
love  in  the  downcast  eyes  of  Lilian  Archer,  when,  as 
he  had  implored  her  mother,  she  was  led  that  after- 


182     TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS 

noon  to  the  darkened  room  in  which  he  sat,  and,  like 
knight  of  old,  he  took  and  bent  over  and  kissed  her 
trembling  little  hand.  "  I  would  kneel,  too,"  he  mur 
mured,  even  as  her  mother  stood  beside  her,  with  swim 
ming  eyes,  and  as  he  looked  up  into  the  blushing  face 
his  own  eyes  were  filled  with  unfeigned  homage,  ad 
miration,  even  love,  his  deep  voice  with  emotion  that 
was  sweet  to  woman's  ear.  "  Heaven  never  made  a 
lovelier  lover  than  Hal  Willett,"  once  said  a  famous 
belle  and  beauty.  "  That's  why  so  many  of  us  like  to 
listen." 

But  these  earnest,  honest,  inexperienced  two — the 
whole-hearted  army  wife  who  had  lived  well-nigh  quar 
ter  of  a  century  in  the  undivided  sunshine  of  an  honest 
soldier's  love,  and  this  sweet,  simple-hearted  army  girl 
who  had  never  dreamed  of  or  thought  to  know  any 
love  to  compare  with  this — listened,  spellbound,  to  Wil- 
lett's  almost  eloquent  avowal,  and  the  last  doubt  or  fear 
that  Mrs.  Archer  entertained  vanished  like  the  morn 
ing  mists  before  the  sunshine. 

"  I  declare/'  she  said  to  Mrs.  Stannard,  "  I'm  almost 
as  much  in  love  as  Lilian/'  and  indeed  it  seemed  so, 
and  might  well  be  so,  for  never  was  queen's  courtier 
so  exquisite  in  deference,  homage,  tact,  as,  in  that  bliss 
ful  week  of  honeymooning,  was  Hal  Willett  to  the 
mother  of  his  dainty  love.  As  for  Lilian,  the  arid, 
breezeless  day  was  soft  with  scented  zephyrs;  the  un 
peopled  air  was  athrill  with  the  melody  of  countless 
song  birds ;  the  unsightly  desert  flowered  with  exquisite 
millions  of  buds  and  blossoms  that  craved  the  caress  of 
her  dainty  hand,  the  pressure  of  her  pretty  foot.  The 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS    183 

<sunburned  square  of  the  lonely  little  garrison,  environed 
with  swarthy  f oemen,  cut  off  from  the  world,  was  alive 
with  heroic  knights  in  glittering  armor  and  ladies  in 
lace  and  loveliness,  and  all  were  her  loyal,  devoted  sub 
jects,  revelling  in  her  happiness,  rejoicing  in  her  smiles, 
.serving  her  in  homage  and  on  bended  knee,  their  thrice- 
blessed,  beautiful,  beloved  queen.  God  never  made  a 
jnore  radiantly  happy  girl  than  was  our  fairy  Lilian 
that  wonderful  week.  God  be  thanked  it  was  so  utterly 
blissful,  since  it  had  to  be  so  brief ! 

All  day  long  the  watchmen  clung  to  their  glaring 
stations,  and  Sunday  went  by  without  either  alarm  or 
excursion.  All  Sunday — Monday  night,  they  scanned 
the  dark  depths  of  eastward  basin,  the  lone  reaches  of 
the  valley,  the  tumbling  heights  to  the  west.  It  was 
nine  in  the  morning  of  the  second  day  since  the  signal 
ling  from  Squadron  Peak  when  the  cry  went  up  from 
the  roof  of  the  office,  "  Signal  smoke  south-east !  "  and 
every  glass  at  Almy  was  brought  to  bear  within  the 
minute,  and  half  the  garrison  lined  the  lower  edge  of 
the  mesa,  and  all  men  were  listening  for  further  tidings, 
when  from  the  hospital  came  the  stirring  shout: 
"  Smoke  answer,  west !  And  there,  plainly  visible,  and 
not  five  miles  away  among  the  pine-bearded  foothills, 
in  little  puffs,  singly  and  distinct,  thick  wreaths  of  gray- 
white  smoke  were  sailing  straight  aloft.  The  waiting 
'Apache  of  the  Mazatzal  was  signalling  the  coming 
brother  from  the  dark  clefts  of  the  Sierra  Ancha.  One 
hour  later,  just  as  ten  was  striking  on  the  spiral  of  the 
office  clock,  two  sudden  shots  were  heard  on  the  flats  to 
the  north-west,  and  the  little  herd  of  horses  and  mules. 


184     TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

not  two  dozen  in  all,  grazing  under  cover  of  the  rifles 
of  Sentries  3  and  4,  came  limping,  lumbering  in,  fast 
as  hoppled  feet  would  permit  and  without  sign  of  a 
herdsman.  Number  Three,  a  veteran  of  the  war  days, 
let  drive  with  his  fifty  calibre  Springfield,  the  gun  of 
the  day,  and  sent  up  a  yell  for  "  The  Guard !  " 

"  Join  your  companies,  men,"  said  the  general,  in 
his  placid  way,  whereat  most  of  them  went  with  a  rush. 
"  The  north  side  first,  Bonner,"  he  added,  as  the  cap 
tain  came  hurrying  to  his  chief.  "  They've  sneaked 
up  on  the  herd  guard,  I  fancy.  Send  the  picked  shots 
out  to  the  pits." 

Out  on  the  flats  to  the  west  of  the  Verde  road,  full 
five  hundred  yards  away  from  rock,  tree  or  shelter, 
other  than  mere  clump  of  cactus,  pumpkin  size,  or 
bunch  of  dirty  weed,  there  was  lying  a  little  heap  of 
dingy  white  and  brown,  with  a  cow  pony  kicking  at 
empty  air  in  a  shallow  ditch — what  was  left  of  the  half- 
breed  herd  guard  and  his  mount.  With  most  of  the 
cavalry  gone,  the  quartermaster  had  supplied  their  place 
with  such  mounted  men  as  he  could  make  available,  and 
in  broad  daylight,  within  long  rifle-shot  of  the  sentry 
lines,  the  Apaches  had  squirmed  out,  snake-like,  on 
their  bellies,  unseen,  unsuspected;  had  picked  off  one 
of  two  watchers  and  stampeded  the  other.  The  skir 
mish  line  stumbled  over  the  survivor,  quaking  among 
the  willows  in  the  stream  bed,  and  kicked  him  out  into 
the  open  to  help  bear  home  his  murdered  brother ;  then 
pushed  out  as  far  as  the  first  ridge  in  hopes  of  a  shot, 
and  were  rewarded  with  nothing  better  than  a  glimpse 
of  vanishing  breech-clouts.  Falling  slowly  back,  toward 


TONIO,  SON  OF   THE  SIERRAS     185 

noon,  Bonner  posted  two  men  in  each  of  a  dozen  rifle- 
pits,  some  fifty  yards  outside  the  sentry  lines,  as  a  rule, 
and  wherever  view  of  the  approaches  could  be  had. 
Two  of  these  were  on  little  knolls  to  the  south  of  the 
store,  and  here  were  Craney  &  Co.  in  full  force,  every 
man  armed  with  a  Henry  rifle  and  a  war-model  Colt, 
"  Mr.  Case-Keeper  Book,"  as  Sergeant  Clancy  jovially 
hailed  him,  quite  as  formidable  as  his  fellows,  and 
every  whit  as  cool.  Craney  held  that  he  and  his  men 
had  a  right  to  be  counted  in  among  those  told  off  to 
hold  the  fort,  and  Bonner  smilingly  assented. 

"  You  two  seem  to  hit  it  off  pretty  well  together," 
said  he  to  Case  and  Clancy.  "  I  reckon  we'll  Cossack 
you  over  yonder,"  and  he  pointed  to  a  scooped-out  little 
hummock  nearest  the  stream,  commanding  much  of  the 
southward  road  and  the  trail  along  the  willows,  now 
facetiously  termed  the  "  Ghost  Walk."  It  was  an  un 
usual  assignment,  or  distribution,  but  it  seemed  to  strike 
the  fancy  of  both.  In  times  of  peril  and  at  the  fore- 
posts  men  think  less  of  rank  and  more  of  repute. 
Clancy  was  known  far  and  wide  as  a  fearless  Apache 
fighter,  with  a  Gaines's  Mill-Gettysburg  record  behind 
him.  Case  had  never  before  been  heard  of  afield,  but 
his  one  exploit  in  the  card  room  stamped  him  uner 
ringly,  said  these  frontier  experts,  as  "  a  man  of  nerve." 
Clancy  held  out  his  big  red  hand.  "  Are  ye  with  me  ?  " 
said  he.  "  Yours  truly,"  said  Case.  "  Then  come  on, 
Pitkeeper,"  said  Clancy,  "  and  we'll  leave  Book  and 
Case  behind." 

The  general  came  jogging  down  at  the  moment,  be 
striding  one  of  Bucketts's  general  utility  beasts,  watch- 


186     TONIO,  SON   OF  THE  SIERRAS 

ing  the  posting  of  the  post  defenders,  and  he  screwed 
his  eyelids  down  to  a  slit  as  he  glared  from  under  the 
brim  of  his  then  unorthodox  slouch  hat,  and  squinted 
after  the  combination  of  soldier  and  civilian  stalking 
away  to  the  assigned  station.  "  What  have  you  there, 
Bonner  ? "  he  asked,  as  he  reined  in. 

"  '  Erin  go  unum,  E  pluribus  bragh,7  sir,  as  Derby 
Would  have  it."  "  The  Celt  and  the  Casekeeper,77  he 
added  to  himself.  "  Clancy  and  Case  going  gunning 
together  as  amicably  as  if  they  had  never  squabbled  over 
a  sutler's  bill.77 

"  Queer  lot — that  man  Case ! 77  said  the  commanding 
officer  reflectively.  "  His  face  bothers  me  sometimes, 
as  though  I  must  have  seen  or  known  him  before,  yet  he 
tells  me  that  he  did  not  come  to  Vancouver  until  after 
I  had  left  that  department.  Is  he  all  straight  again  ?  " 

"  Straight  as  the  new  toadsticker,  general,  and'7 — 
with  a  rueful  look  at  that  slender  appendage — "  a- 
damned  sight  more  useful.  His  ghost-herding  spree* 
was  no  end  important.  I've  an  idea  Case  can  handle 
a  gun  as  well  as  " — another  sotto  voce  now — "  he  can 
play  a  worthless  hand.77 

"  Well,77  said  Archer,  as  he  glanced  about  him,  "  I 
don7t  believe,  as  a  rule,  in  putting  any  but  soldiers- 
on  post,  but,77  as  he  considered  the  slender  rank  of 
infantry  standing  patiently  at  ease,  barely  a  dozen  all 
told,  and  then  smiled  at  Craney  and  his  belligerent 
force,  only  four  in  number,  but  each  man  a  walking 
arsenal  with  two  weapons  and  five  shots  to  the  soldiers' 
one,  "  there  are  no  non-combatants  in  Indian  warfare* 
Every  man,  woman  and  child  may  have  to  fight*''- 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS     187 

Yet  Archer  felt  no  measure  whatever  of  apprehen 
sion.  One  hundred  good  men  and  true,  at  least,  were 
left  to  guard  the  post,  and  many  of  them  battle-tried 
veterans.  Not  since  the  war  days  had  the  Apaches 
mustered  in  sufficient  force  and  daring  to  attack  a  gar 
rison.  Still,  Archer  knew  that  if  they  only  realized 
their  strength  in  point  of  numbers,  their  skill  in  creep 
ing  close  to  their  prey,  their  swiftness  of  foot,  and  the 
ease  with  which  they  could  escape,  all  they  needed  was 
dash,  determination  and  a  leader,  to  enable  them  to 
creep  upon  the  post  in  the  darkness,  and  in  one  terrific 
moment  swoop  upon  the  officers'  quarters,  massacre 
every  soul,  and  be  off  across  the  stream  before  the  men 
in  the  barracks  could  rush  to  the  rescue.  They  had 
talked  it  over  at  officers7  mess — the  general  and  Bonner 
and  Bucketts  and  all,  and  figured  out  just  how  fifty 
white  desperadoes  could  plan  and  accomplish  the  feat. 
It  would  be  no  trick  at  all  to  come  up  the  valley  in 
the  screen  of  the  willows,  creep  to  the  west  bank,  divide 
into  six  different  squads,  one  for  each  set  of  quarters, 
crawl  to  the  post  of  the  drowsy  sentry,  shoot  him  full 
of  arrows  before  he  could  cry  out  or  load,  then,  all 
together,  charge  up  the  slope  and  into  the  flimsy  houses, 
pistols  in  hand  and  knives  in  their  teeth,  and  simply 
butcher  the  occupants  as  they  lay  in  their  beds.  Doors, 
even  if  closed  or  bolted,  which  rarely  happened,  could 
be  smashed  in  an  instant — matches  would  light  their 
way.  It  would  be  all  over  in  much  less  time  than  it 
takes  to  tell  it,  and  it  might  well  happen  but  for  two 
things — the  Apache's  dread  of  the  dark  and  his  fear 
pf  a  possible  hand-to-hand  fight. 


188     TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

Yet  if  Deltchay  and  Eskiminzin,  with  all  their  war 
riors,  were  to  reenforce  these  about  them,  with  five 
hundred  braves  to  the  garrison's  one  hundred,  even  that 
dread  might  be  overcome. 

And  by  Monday's  sundown  it  was  known  that  num 
bers  of  Apaches  had  crossed  the  valley  ten  miles  away 
to  the  south — the  telescope  had  told  that — and  not  a 
word  or  sign  had  been  vouchsafed  by  Turner,  and  Tues 
day  brought  no  better  news.  Then  'Tonio,  said  many 
a  man,  had  played  them  false. 

Just  at  four  o'clock  Archer  had  arranged  the  dis 
positions  for  the  night.  Mrs.  Stannard,  with  Mrs. 
Archer  and  Lilian,  were  to  occupy  the  ground  floor, 
north-west,  room  of  his  quarters — the  one  least  exposed 
to  flying  bullets  in  case  of  attack.  Mrs.  Bennett  and 
the  matron  were  moved  into  a  little  room  in  the  hos 
pital.  The  soldiers'  wives  and  children  were  to  as 
semble  in  the  barracks  in  case  of  alarm.  The  men  in 
the  outlying  posts  and  pits  were  to  be  doubled  at  dusk 
— Bonner's  company  attending  to  that,  while  Briggs 
and  his  fellows  were  to  sleep  on  their  arms  within  the 
post.  It  now  lacked  but  a  few  minutes  of  sunset.  No 
further  demonstration  had  occurred.  Not  an  Indian 
had  been  seen  within  a  radius  of  six  miles,  when,  all 
on  a  sudden,  there  came  a  shot — then  two,  almost  to 
gether,  then  a  quick  crackle  and  sputter  of  small-arms 
afar  down  the  stream.  "  By  Jove !  "  cried  Bonner, 
from  a  perch  by  the  lookout  at  the  office.  "  They've 
opened  on  Case  and  Clancy !  " 

And  that  was  but  the  opening,  for  within  a  minute, 
from  on  every  side,  from  far  out  among;  the  rocks  to  the 


"  They've  opened  on  Case  and  Clancy. 


Page  i  88 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS     189 

west,  from  the  sandhills  across  the  stream,  from  little 
heaps  of  brush  and  weed  and  cactus  in  the  flats,  from 
the  distant  screen  of  the  willows  in  the  stream  hed, 
little  puffs  of  white  sulphur  smoke  jutted  into  the  slant 
ing  sunshine,  and  the  pulseless  air  of  declining  day 
was  suddenly  set  to  stir  and  throb  by  the  crackle  of 
encircling  musketry.  And  then  was  seen  the  wisdom 
of  the  veteran's  defence.  Few  of  the  hostiles,  as  yet, 
had  other  than  old-fashioned  muzzle-loading  rifles,  and 
few  that  they  owned  were  effective  over  six  hundred 
yards.  By  stationing  his  better  shots  in  rifle  pits  well 
forward  from  the  buildings  on  every  side,  Archer  easily 
held  the  foe  at  a  distance  so  long  as  they  dare  not 
"  rush  "  his  outposts.  Only  on  the  east  side  were  there 
pits  less  than  three  hundred  yards  from  the  mesa,  but 
here  there  was  a  dismal  flat  beyond  the  creek,  affording 
a  minimum  of  cover,  and  hardly  a  bullet  whistled  in 
from  any  direction  so  as  to  reach  the  quarters.  Once 
in  a  while  a  little  puff  of  dust  flew  up  from  the  sandy 
slope  without,  but  even  that  was  enough  to  demand 
that  the  women  folk  should  keep  under  shelter,  and  at 
the  moment  the  firing  began  Lilian  and  her  mother 
were  seated  by  Willett's  reclining  chair,  and  then  Mrs. 
Stannard  joined  them,  and,  the  windows  being  shaded, 
they  never  saw,  among  the  first  to  reach  the  general 
at  the  mesa  edge,  Harris,  the  wounded  officer,  revolver 
in  his  unfettered  hand. 

The  first  volleying  over,  only  in  single  and  scattered 
shots,  as  they  reloaded,  came  the  Indian  fire.  If  the 
hope  had  been  to  strike  dismay  with  a  volume  of  sound 
such  as  native  ears  had  not  heard,  the  Apache  was 


190     TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS 

doomed  to  disappointment.  Men  who  had  heard  the 
crash  of  Spottsylvania  and  Cold  Harbor  laughed  at 
the  puny  crackle  of  two  hundred  muskets.  Then  pres 
ently  the  Springfields  began  deliberate  reply,  only  an 
occasional  shot,  for  only  very  rarely  did  so  much  as  the 
tip  of  a  turban  appear,  and  then  the  sun  had  dropped 
below  the  Mazatzal  and  the  valley  was  in  shadow,  and 
old  Archer  stood  with  grim,  whimsical  smile  on  his 
weather-beaten  face,  as,  field-glass  to  his  eyes,  he  scanned 
his  outposts  at  the  south  where  the  firing  seemed  heav 
iest.  It  was  a  moment  or  two  before  he  noticed  Harris 
at  all.  When  he  did  it  was  to  utter  a  mild  rebuke. 
"  You  should  not  be  here,  lad.  You  need  rest.  This 
is  only  fun." 

Yet  not  all  fun.  Strong  came  presently  thumping 
back  from  beyond  the  store.  He  had  borrowed  Craney's 
Pinto  pony  and  had  been  visiting  the  southward  posts,, 
and  Pinto  had  been  clipped  by  a  bullet  and  was  half 
frantic  with  the  smart  and  scare  combined.  Moreover, 
Strong's  fighting  face  was  red  and  mad,  as  he  thrashed 
the  lagging  pony  up  the  slope. 

"  It's  Deltchay,  sir,  easy  enough/'  said  he,  with 
sweeping  salute,  "  and  that  isn't  all  " — this  with  almost 
challenging  glance  at  Harris,  who  had  dropped  his  pis 
tol  and  was  gazing  intently  through  his  binocular  at 
an  open,  slanting  space  far  out  to  the  south-east,  still 
blazing  in  the  rays  of  the  setting  sun.  "  The  man  of 
all  others  that  oughtn't  to  be  there  stood  at  that  point 
of  rocks  not  ten  minutes  ago — the  man  we  sent  for 
Turner,  general — 'Tonio  himself !  " 

Then  both  men,  the  gray-mustached  commander,  the 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE   SIERRAS     191 

angering  adjutant,  turned  on  the  silent  little  subaltern, 
who  stood  there  without  having  fco  much  as  changed  hia 
attitude  or  lowered  his  glass. 

'•'  You  hear  that,  Harris  ?  "  demanded  Archer.  And 
with  calm  respect,  jet  almost  exasperating  <Jrawl,  came 
the  unlooked-for  answer: 

"  I  was  about  to  mention  it — myself,  sir.  "Tonio  was 
certainly  there— and  Turner  close  behind  him.  Look 
for  yourself,  sir !  " 

Look,  indeed!  Eiding  steadily  down  into  the  val 
ley,  still  a  long  four  miles  away,  came  the  extended 
line  of  half  a  cavalry  troop  in  skirmish  order,  with 
the  supports  and  reserves  dotting  the  slope  to  their 
rear.  '  Turner,  as  sure  as  shooting,"  said  the  general 
— "  and  'Tonio  as  his  guide !  " 


CHAPTEK   XVIII. 

THE  attack  had  ended  almost  as  suddenly  as  it  began. 
Darkness  descended  upon  the  valley  and  every  vestige 
of  the  Apache  was  gone  with  the  twilight.  Long  before 
time  for  tattoo  the  eager  watchers  in  the  down-stream 
posts  could  hear  muffled  hoofbeats  and  low-toned  words 
of  command  along  the  still  cautious  skirmish  line,  and 
Turner  came  but  slowly,  first  because  he  could  see  that 
there  was  no  occasion  for  hurry;  second,  because,  with 
his  wounded  to  protect,  there  was  every  objection  to 
haste.  Between  that  steadily  advancing  array  and 
these  fire-spitting  heaps  of  sand  toward  the  post  the 
Indians  slid  soundless  away  into  the  gloom  of  the  foot 
hills,  and  presently  shouts  of  greeting  and  welcome  re 
echoed  among  the  rocks,  and  Turner's  men  rode  sturdily 
up  to  the  fords.  By  ten  the  last  litter  had  been  shoul 
dered  through  the  swift  waters  and  borne  to  the  ready 
hospital,  where  Bentley  and  his  assistants  went  busily 
to  work.  Six  of  the  men  and  two  Hualpai  scouts  had 
been  more  or  less  severely  wounded,  four  of  them  being 
borne  from  Tonto  Creek  on  improvised  stretchers  made 
from  saplings  and  blankets.  Shelter  tents,  or  tentage 
of  any  kind,  our  men  had  no  use  for,  save  as  sunshades, 
in  Arizona. 

And  with  Turner  came  the  first  tidings  to  reach  the 
beleaguered  post  since  the  couriers  were  brought  in, 


TONIO,   SON   OF   THE  SIERRAS     193 

with  their  belated  tales,  from  up  the  Verde.  Turner 
looked  a  trifle  surprised  at  the  warmth  of  his  greeting. 
Turner  had  had  little  idea  of  their  being  so  closely  in 
vested.  Turner  had  sent  two  runners  in  with  reports, 
and  they  both  returned  safely,  saying,  "  Almy  all  right, 
but  plenty  Tonto  everywhere !  "  One  of  them  said  he 
gave  his  despatch  to  'Tonio,  as  he  dare  go  no  farther. 
One  of  them  brought  his  back  with  him,  and  the  third — 
Hualpai  21,  he  supposed — had  finally  reached  the  post, 
as  only  two  nights  since  an  Apache-Mohave  boy  found 
his  way  to  the  Tonto  Creek  camp  with  the  despatch 
recalling  the  cavalry.  They  started  at  dawn,  wounded 
and  all  5  had  a  long  range  fight  with  Tontos  toward 
evening,  and  another  next  morning,  but  forged  slowly 
and  steadily  ahead  with  only  slight  loss,  and  came  in 
sight  of  the  flag  and  the  fracas  late  the  second  after 
noon.  Turner  was  glad  to  get  back,  he  said,  since  it 
seems  he  was  needed,  but  was  no^  sooner  back  than  he 
was  eager  to  launch  out  again.  Hadn't  they  heard? 
Why,  there  had  been  great  doings  up  on  the  Mogollon. 
Old  Gray  Fox  himself  had  taken  the  field  and  was  out 
with  all  the  horsemen  from  Whipple  and  Sandy,  and 
Stannard  had  joined  them,  and  they  were  ripping  up 
the  Tonto  country  in  a  way  that  bade  fair  to  wind  up 
the  war.  How  had  he  heard  ?  Why,  runners — Apache- 
Mohaves — 'Tonio's  people.  Kwonahelka  and  some  of 
his  ilk  had  managed  to  keep  going  between  them,  slip 
ping  through  or  skipping  round  the  Tontos  like  so  many 
"  ghost  goats."  It  was  only  here,  round  about  Almy, 
the  hostiles  were  too  many  for  them !  " 


194     TONIO,  SON   OF  THE   SIERRAS 

"  D'you  mean  you  didn't  know  the  Apache-Mohaves 
were  just  as  hostile  as  the  rest  ?  "  asked  Archer. 

"  Apache-Mohaves !  "  exclaimed  Turner,  looking  up 
in  amaze  from  the  hot  supper  set  for  him  in  the 
mess  room.  "  Why,  general,  I  couldn't  have  got  along 
without  'em !  " 

"  This  beats  me !  "  said  the  chief,  looking  at  the 
faces  about  him  for  support,  and  finding  it  in  every 
one,  for  Harris  had  been  remanded  to  bed.  "  Up  here 
they  have  chased  our  couriers,  blocked  the  runners,  and 
'Tonio  himself  shot  at  Willett  and  killed  his  horse !  " 

For  a  moment  Turner  was  too  much  surprised  to 
speak.  Suddenly  he  called  to  the  orderly  at  the  door 
way  to  send  his  sergeant,  who  was  then  at  the  adju 
tant's  office  adjoining.  "  I  beg  your  pardon,  gen 
eral,"  he  said,  "  but  this  seems  incredible  in  view  of 
our  experiences.  Why,  some  of  them  joined  us  and 
stayed  with  us  day  and  night."  Then  as  a  bearded, 
sun-blistered  face  appeared  at  the  doorway,  and  a 
sturdy  form  in  hunting  shirt  of  deerskin  and  long 
Apache  leggings  stood  attention  before  them :  "  Ser 
geant,  send  'Tonio  here,  and  you  come  with  him.  You 
and  he  seem  to  understand  each  other." 

"  'Tonio  didn't  come  in,  sir,  nor  the  few  that  were 
with  him.  They  hung  back  and  quit  at  the  Point." 

"  Quit !     Do  you  know  what's  the  trouble  ?  " 

"  No,  sir."  But  the  soldier  was  obviously  embar 
rassed.  "  I  gather,  though,  from  what  I  could  under 
stand,  that  'Tonio  thinks  he's  mistrusted.  He  says  he 
will  not  come  in  till  Big  Chief  comes  himself.  He 
means  General  Crook,  sir." 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS     195 

There  was  silence  a  moment.  It  was  for  the  post 
commander  to  speak  if  anybody,  and  Archer  sat  study 
ing  the  veteran  trooper  before  him.  Officers  of  experi 
ence  knew  the  value  of  expert  opinion  to  be  had  for 
the  asking  among  sergeants  with  war  records  behind 
them,  and  Turner's  right  bower,  into  whose  sanctum 
at  barracks  only*his  intimates  ventured,  save  with  cap 
in  hand  and  "  sir  "  on  their  lips,  was  a  man  of  mark 
in  the  regiment. 

"  Sergeant  Malloy,"  said  Archer,  "  did  'Tonio  tell 
you  why  he  was  mistrusted  ?" 

"  I  think  he  was  trying  to,  sir,  but  I  am  new  at 
his  language  and  none  too  good  at  signs." 

Again  did  it  seem  as  though  Malloy  had  understood 
more  readily  than  he  cared  to  admit,  or  would  presume 
to. say.  It  was  very  late.  The  day  had  been  long  and 
trying.  With  all  its  matter-of-fact,  nonchalant  ease  of 
manner  during  the  few  hours  under  fire,  the  personnel 
of  Camp  Almy,  officer  and  man,  had  been  subjected  to 
something  of  a  strain  night  and  day  for  nearly  a  week, 
and  now  was  ready  to  turn  in  and  sleep,  but  Archer 
and  those  with  him  were  convinced  that  in  Sergeant 
Malloy  there  lived  a  witness  who,  better  even  than 
Lieutenant  Harris,  could  throw  light  on  'Tonio's  singu 
lar  and  inexplicable  behavior.  There  was  not  one  of 
their  number  who  did  not  believe,  and  in  the  absence 
of  Harris  would  hesitate  to  say,  that  Willett  had  seen 
'Tonio  taking  deliberate  aim  when  the  shot  was  fired 
that  downed  both  his  horse  and  himself.  This  was 
enough  to  warrant  their  doubt  of  'Tonio's  loyalty.  All 
that  was  lacking  was  something  to  establish  a  motive — 


196     TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS 

an  explanation — for  a  murderous  and  treasonable  deed. 
An  unwilling  witness  was  Sergeant  Malloy,  therefore 
the  more  persistent  should  be  the  examination,  and 
after  a  moment's  reflection  Archer  spoke  again: 

"  Sergeant,  you  have  formed  an  impression,  I  think, 
and  I  should  be  glad  to  have  the  benefit  of  it.     Did — 
he  mean  that — Lieutenant  Harris  distrusted  him  ?  " 
"  No,  sir."     On  this  point  the  sergeant  was  confident. 
"  Did  he  mention  any  one — in  particular  ?  " 
"  I  gathered  that  he  thought  that  all  the  officers  of 
the  post,  from  the  general  down,  with  perhaps  two  ex 
ceptions,  distrusted  him." 
"  And  these  two — were  ?  " 

"  Captain  Stannard,  sir,  and  Captain  Turner." 
"  I  see,"  said  Archer  gravely.     "  Now,  had  anything 
happened — had  anything  been  said  or  done  to  account 
for  his — sensitiveness,  we  will  call  it  ?  " 

Malloy  hesitated.  "  The  general  understands,  I 
hope,  that  I  am  answering  only  as  to  impressions.  I 
might  be  mistaken  as  to  his  meaning,  and  he  might 
have  been  mistaken  as  to  the  meaning  of  the  officer 
in  the  case." 

"  Then  there  has  been  a  case  ?     When  and  where  ?  " 
There  was  impressive  silence  in  the  dimly  lighted 
mess  room  as  the  impromptu  council  sat  about  the  table, 
Turner,  with  the  relics  of  his  hearty  supper,  at  the 
other  end  of  it.     Every  man  present  seemed  to  feel  that 
here  at  last  the  clew  to  'Tonio's  double  dealing  was 
to  be  found.     The  answer  came  readily  enough : 
"  At  Bennett's  Ranch,  sir,  the  night  it  was  burnt." 
"  Why — what  happened  there  ?  "     And  Archer  was 
evidently  surprised. 


TONIO,   SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS     197 

^'Tonio  said  he  was  insulted  before  his  own  people 
— called  a  liar — struck  with  a  gauntlet." 

"  Struck  ?  'Tonio  ?  A  chief,  and  a  son  of  a  chief — 
of  a  line  of  chiefs,  in  fact !  Why,  what  man  could  have 
been — mad  enough  to  do  that  ?  " 

There  was  just  a  suspicion  of  satire,  of  humor,  of 
possible  malice  in  the  answer,  yet  every  one  familiar 
with  the  traditions  and  the  vocabulary — the  nomencla 
ture — of  the  old  army  of  the  old  days,  knew  well  the 
sergeant  was  well  within  his  rights.  Respect  and  re 
gret  intermingled  were  in  tone  and  word  as  in  his  an 
swer,  all  unwittingly,  Malloy  furnished  the  missing  mo 
tive  for  'Tonio's  crime: 

"  It  wasn't  one  of  the  men,  sir.  It  was  Lieutenant 
-Lieutenant  Willett." 

Then  for  a  moment  there  was  another  silence.  Bon- 
ner,  Briggs  and  Strong  exchanged  quick  glances. 
Archer's  fine,  clear-cut  face  took  on  a  deeper  shade, 
then  he  turned  his  chair  to  squarely  face  the  sergeant. 

"  Did  he  explain — how  it  came  about  ?" 

"  'Tonio  said  that  he  wished  to  go,  and  ought  to  go, 
with  Lieutenant  Harris — the  lieutenant  was  his  chief. 
Lieutenant  Willett  forbade,  as  I  understand,  and 
ordered  him  to  stay,  and  he  had  to  get  Lieutenant  Har 
ris  himself  to  explain  the  order  before  'Tonio  would 
obey.  Then  'Tonio  says  the  lieutenant  ordered  him 
to  do  something,  I  could  not  tell  what.  'Tonio  an 
swered  by  telling  Lieutenant  Willett  not  to  step  on 
some  moccasin  tracks,  and  the  lieutenant  surely  couldn't 
have  understood  him,  for  he  grew  very  angry  and — but, 
indeed,  general,  it's  more  than  I  know  that  I've  been 
telling " 


198     TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS 

But  Archer  had  one  more  question  to  ask,  and  asked 
it,  and  when  it  was  answered  the  council  broke  up  with 
no  man  dissenting  from  the  general  belief  in  'Tonio's 
attempted,  yet  baffled,  revenge. 

"  Did  'Tonio  tell  you  of  what  happened  later — of  his 
attempt  to  shoot  at  Lieutenant  Willett  1" 

"  Not  a  word  or  sign  of  that,  sir !" 

And  yet  it  was  'Tonio's  people  who  kept  the  faith 
as  to  bearing  messages  and  giving  safe  conduct  to 
Archer's  people  in  the  field.  It  was  all  past  Archer's 
comprehension  and  that  of  the  officers  present.  There 
was  no  Gray  Fox  there  who  knew  Indians  as  they  knew 
themselves.  There  was  no  genial,  straightforward 
"  Big  Chief  Jake/'  the  fearless  soldier  leader  from  the 
lower  reservation,  from  Camp  Apache  and  the  San  Car 
los,  the  man  on  whom  the  Gray  Fox  leaned,  the  man 
whom  the  hostiles  dreaded,  the  "friendlies"  trusted,  and 
all  frontiersmen,  soldier  or  civilian,  swore  by.  They 
could  have  fathomed  it.  Even  blunt  old  Stannard,  had 
he  been  there,  could  have  thrown  some  needed  light 
on  the  vexed  and  gloomy  question.  But  in  all  Camp 
Almy  that  night  there  was  only  one  officer  who,  know 
ing  few  of  these  facts,  nevertheless  knew  'Tonio  so 
well,  and  so  repented  him  of  his  own  brief  suspicion, 
that  he  would  have  called  a  halt  to  the  order  given  Cap 
tain  Turner  within  the  hour — to  send  Sergeant  Malloy, 
with  a  dozen  men,  as  soon  as  the  coast  was  clear  of 
the  hostile  Apaches,  to  run  down  'Tonio  wherever  he 
might  be,  to  secure  and  bring  him  in,  a  prisoner  bound, 
and  if  he  sought  to  escape,  to  shoot  him  dead. 


CHAPTEE  XIX. 

AN  atmosphere  of  peace  ineffable  surrounded  old 
Camp  Almy.  The  Indians  lately  infesting  the  neigh 
borhood  seemed  to  have  gone  away  into  the  mountain 
fastnesses.  Turner  had  pushed  little  scouting  parties 
cautiously  into  the  foothills  to  the  west  and  the  rugged 
country  eastward-  across  the  stream.  Others  had  ven 
tured  down  to  the  Peak  and  scaled  it  in  search  of  signal 
smokes  or  fires.  Others  still  had  explored  the  valley 
toward  Dead  Man's  Canon,  and  back  by  way  of  Ben 
nett's,  without  finding  so  much  as  a  moccasin  print. 
Even  the  Apache -Mohaves  seemed  to  have  gone  from 
the  neighborhood.  Malloy  with  his  chosen  ten  was  still 
out,  and  a  rumor  was  prevalent  that  their  orders  might 
keep  them  away  some  days,  so  no  apprehension  was  felt 
at  their  continued  absence. 

Another  week  was  nearing  an  end.  A  runner,  Hual- 
pai,  had  come  in  from  the  far  north-east,  with  des 
patches  from  Stannard.  He  was  with  General  Crook 
and  their  comrades  from  the  northward  camps  and  sta 
tions.  They  had  abundant  supplies,  had  scattered  and 
driven  the  Tontos,  had  made  some  prisoners  of  squaws 
and  pappooses,  who,  even  to  the  general,  declared  they 
knew  not  where  the  Bennett  children  had  been  hidden. 
The  general  was  expecting  to  work  southward  along  the 
Black  Mesa  to  meet  the  column  out  from  the  Upper 


200     TONIO,  SON  OF  THE   SIERRAS 

San  Carlos  under  Major  Randall  ("  Big  Chief  Jake," 
the  aforementioned)  and  between  them  they  meant  to 
leave  no  stone  unturned  in  the  effort  to  find  the  boys. 
Stannard  enclosed  a  letter  for  his  bonny  wife,  and  closed 
with  a  word  by  way  of  postscript  over  which  Archer 
and  the  three  B's  found  themselves  pondering  not  a 
little. 

"  Wish  we  had  Harris  and  'Tonio  with  us.  Hope 
they  are  doing  well.  The  general  is  anxious  to  meet  and 
know  them  both." 

Harris  was  not  well.  His  convalescence  had  been  in 
terrupted  and  impaired,  as  we  have  seen,  and  no  man 
thrives  bodily  when  heart  and  soul  are  sore  within  him ; 
and,  heart  and  soul,  Harris  was  sore.  He  was  sitting 
up,  to  be  sure,  but  it  was  plain  to  be  seen  he  was  suffer 
ing.  Mrs.  Stannard,  wise  woman  that  she  was,  be 
lieved  she  knew  something  of  the  cause  and  held  her 
peace.  Dr.  Bentley,  believing  also  that  he  knew  some 
thing  of  the  cause,  was  not  so  thoroughly  wise.  Be 
tween  Mrs.  Bennett,  his  patients  at  the  hospital,  mostly 
convalescent,  and  this  young  knight,  the  doctor  was  hav 
ing  a  busy  time  of  it.  Mrs.  Bennett  improved  not  at 
all,  but  had  at  least  become  less  violent  in  her  anguish. 
At  times  she  seemed  almost  in  a  stupor,  and  Mrs. 
Stannard  was  beginning  to  wonder  whether  the  matron, 
worn  out  with  her  lamentations,  had  been  administering 
surreptitious  opiates.  Mrs.  Archer's  visits  had  become 
less  frequent,  because  for  long  hours  she  had  had  to  go 
and  sit  with  Lilian  and  her  crippled  hero.  But  now 
that  hero  was  up  and  out  on  the  veranda,  basking  in 
the  sunshine  of  love  unutterable,  though  enjoined  as 


TONIO,  SON   OF  THE   SIERRAS     201 

yet  to  avoid  the  fervor  of  that  of  Arizona.  Willett 
had  never  appeared  to  better  advantage  in  his  life  than 
now,  in  modestly  accepting  congratulations,  manfully 
asserting  his  unworthiness  of  the  blessing  that  had  come 
to  him,  and  his  determination,  please  God,  to  live  a 
life  of  devotion  to  his  new-found  delight,  this  sweet 
floweret  of  the  desert  that  so  suddenly,  so  wonderfully, 
so  dominantly  had  come  to  gladden,  to  bless,  to  inspire 
his  career.  Love  is  a  marvellous  beautifier,  mental, 
moral  and  physical.  In  such  pure  and  exquisite  com 
panionship,  in  the  radiance  of  her  presence,  in  the 
ecstasy  of  her  sweet,  shy,  still  half-timid  caress,  in 
the  undoubted  honesty  of  his  resolution  to  be  all  her 
fondest  wishes  would  have  him,  and  in  no  easily  shaken 
conviction  that,  even  as  he  stood,  he  was  a  remarkably 
fine  fellow,  well  calculated  to  make  any  girl  happy,  it 
was  not  difficult  for  Willett  to  rise  superior  to  his  past — 
to  forget  it,  in  fact,  and  to  fancy  himself  for  all  times 
the  high-minded,  love-guided  gentleman  he  stood  to 
day.  Why  should  he  not  to  the  full  rejoice  in  her  de 
licious  homage? — indulge  her  sweet  rhapsodies? — en 
courage  her  fond  day  dreams  ?  It  was  so  easy  now  to 
be  all  deference  and  tenderness  to  the  gentle  mother 
he  was  soon  to  rob  of  her  one  darling,  to  be  all  respect 
and  attention  to  the  gallant  old  soldier  father,  to  be 
everything  that  was  exquisitely  tender,  fond,  impas 
sioned  to  this  innocent  and  lovely  girl,  who  trembled 
with  delight  at  his  kiss  and  clung  in  speechless  rapture 
to  his  side.  Life  for  him,  even  here  at  desolate  Almy, 
had  suddenly  become  a  veritable  heaven.  Small  wonder 
then  that  he  quite  forgot  the  purpose  of  his  coming, 


202     TONIO,  SON   OF  THE   SIERRAS 

the  sordid  events  that  preceded  that  most  fortunate 
catastrophe,  the  fire, — forgot  or  thrust  aside  all  con 
sideration  of  the  episode  at  the  store,  the  encounter  at 
Harris's  bedside,  the  events  of  the  evening  when  he 
was  hurled  headlong  among  the  rocks,  the  victim  of 
'Tonio's  vengeful  aim.  He  had  even  ceased  to  remember 
that  he  had  ever  been  capable  of  considering  "  Hefty  " 
Harris  a  rival,  that  he  had  ever  been  capable  of  un 
dermining  or  intriguing  or  inspiring  an  official  report 
that  reflected  sorely  on  Harris  as  an  oificer  and  leader. 
In  his  present  mood,  in  fine,  forgetful  of  all  his  past, 
his  heart  was  overflowing  with  the  milk  of  human  kind 
ness,  even  to  Harris,  and,  having  successfully  tricked 
him  out  of  everything  worth  having  at  the  post,  was 
quite  ready  to  forgive  him  and  once  more  be  the  friend, 
comrade  and  classmate  of  his  own  imaginings. 

Harris  alone  had  not  come  to  congratulate  him,  but 
then,  as  Willett  well  knew,  Harris  could  not.  Mrs. 
Stannard  and  Dr.  Bentley  both  reported  him  still  too 
weak  to  walk  about.  He  had  had  much  fever  and  pain 
and  loss  of  sleep,  said  they.  But  now,  when  in  the 
soft  light  of  this  Friday  evening,  Willett  essayed  a 
stroll  up  the  line,  with  Lilian  almost  dancing  by  his 
side,  and  with  fond  eyes  following  the  graceful  pair, 
he  took  it  quite  amiss  that  Harris  did  not  come  forth 
to  envy,  and  to  add  his  felicitations.  Come  to  think 
of  it,  that  very  truthful  woman,  Mrs.  Stannard  (who 
never  told  even  a  society  lie  unless  there  was  no  way 
out  of  it),  had  brought  no  word  from  Harris,  nor  had 
Bentley  mentioned  such  a  thing,  and  this  fact  im 
pressed  itself  upon  the  happy  man  as  twice,  thrice 


TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS     203 

slowly  promenaded  past  the  open  door  of  the  doctor's 
quarters  without  a  glimpse  of  Harris,  and,  finally,  on 
the  fourth,  the  return  trip,  Willett  in  his  exuberant 
bliss,  would  not  be  denied. 

"  Harris !  O — o — o —  Hefty !"  he  shouted.  "  Come 
out  and  see  a  fellow!" 

For  a  moment,  silence.  Then,  not  so  resonant  but 
still  clearly  audible,  for  both  men  had  voices  that  "  car 
ried  "  and  were  used  to  command : 

"  Come  in,  if  you  will.  Can't  come  out !  " 
"  I  can't  without  leaving  my  convoy,"  was  the  return 
shout,  but  as  Willett  glanced  down  into  the  lovely  face 
so  near  his  shoulder,  he  found  it  paling  just  a  bit,  and 
troubled,  not  rejoiceful.  "  What  is  it,  sweet  ?  Don't 
you — care  to  see  him?" 

"  I  think — I  don't  know — but — Jie  might  not." 
It  was  too  late.  She  would  have  led  her  lover  away, 
for,  young  as  she  was,  Lilian  Archer  had  a  woman's 
intuition,  if  not  many  a  woman's  wit.  All  on  a  sudden, 
unheard  because  of  moccasined  feet  and  the  doctor's 
Indian  matting,  Harris  stood  in  the  doorway.  He  did 
not  seem  to  look  at  Willett.  His  eyes  at  once  sought 
her,  and  seemed  closing  to  a  slit  as  they  encountered 
even  the  tempered  light  of  declining  day — the  curious 
habit  common  to  so  many  who  have  long  scouted  in 
the  glare  of  desert  suns.  He  hesitated  not  a  moment. 
At  sight  of  her  he  came  quietly  to  the  edge  of  the 
veranda  and  down  the  shallow  steps,  his  face  pale,  as 
was  to  be  expected,  a  grave  smile  upon  his  lips  and 
even  playing  about  the  corners  of  those  keen,  blue-gray, 
unflinching  eyes.  He  waited  for  no  announcement  or 


204     TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

salutation  from  his  brother  officer — Mrs.  Stannard  and 
the  doctor  had  told  him  the  news  two  days  before,  and 
there  had  been  ample  time  in  which  to  digest  it.  Down 
in  the  depths  of  his  heart  he  believed  that  Willett  had 
planned  this  "  coup  "  for  his  especial  mortification,  and 
down  to  the  tip  of  his  toes  he  longed  to  kick  him  for 
it,  whereas  in  Willett's  exuberant  self-gratulation,  the 
one  thought  at  the  moment  was  really  a  "  Rejoice  with 
me.77  That  other  men  should  envy  was,  of  course,  to  be 
expected.  What  worth  were  any  triumph  without  the 
joy  of  being  envied ! 

All  his  life  he  had  been  used  to  it.  All  his  life,  in 
childish  sports,  in  boyish  contest,  on  campus,  rostrum, 
field  or  floor,  among  the  lads  at  school,  his  fellows  at 
the  Point,  his  comrades  in  the  service,  wherever  physical 
beauty,  grace,  skill  and  strength  could  prevail  he  had 
ever  been  easily  winner,  and  when  it  came  to  women, 
what  maid  or  matron  had  withstood  his  charm  of  man 
ner?  What  man  had  ever  yet  prevailed  against  it? 
That  others  should  long  and  strive  for  that  which  had 
come  to  him,  unsought,  un wooed,  was  something  he 
could  neither  obviate  nor  deny.  That  was  Nature's  gift 
to  him  at  birth.  It  was  even  magnanimous  that,  know 
ing  this  power,  he  should  so  often  spare.  Maids  indeed 
might  sigh  at  his  indifference,  but  their  solace  lay  in 
the  eager  offerings  of  other  and  less  gifted  men.  Suffice 
it  for  him  that  at  his  beck  the  best  of  them  would 
quit  the  shelter  of  other  arms  and  come  fluttering  to 
his  own.  But  now,  of  course,  all  this  power  of  fascina 
tion  must  be  sternly  tempered,  even  suppressed.  Hence 
forth  he  must  be  guarded.  The  winning  of  this  pure 


TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS     205 

young  heart,  the  possession  of  this  sweet  and  winsome 
nature,  the  lavish  homage  of  this  fresh  and  fervent 
love  should  steel  his  hitherto  vagrant  fancy  against  all 
would-be-willing  victims.  The  time  had  come  when 
other  women  must  be  bidden,  if  need  be,  to  droop  and 
die.  Henceforth  he  had  naught  to  offer  them  but  the 
contemplation  of  his  content  and  her  unquestioned 
queendom. 

And  so  he  could  forgive  it  in  Harris  that  he  should 
come  forth  with  no  welcoming  look  for  him,  the  con 
queror,  and  only  a  yearning  gaze  for  her.  He  could 
have  felt  quick  resentment  had  Harris  manifested  noth 
ing  but  rejoicing,  even  in  expressing  it.  He  had  hated 
Harris  when,  deposed  from  his  high  rank  as  first  cap 
tain  of  the  Corps  of  Cadets,  he  had  seen  that  far  less 
showy  soldier,  his  classmate,  step  easily  into  command 
and  hold  it  with  better  discipline  and  ever-increasing 
respect  from  the  entire  battalion.  The  day  of  their 
departure  from  the  Point  had  been  to  Willett  an  un- 
forgotten,  unforgiven  lesson.  It  was  the  custom  of  the 
times — an  unwritten,  if  unmilitary  law — that  on  gradu 
ation  day  the  class  should  appear  at  the  mess  hall  at 
the  dinner  hour,  and  either  singly  or  in  little  groups 
of  two  or  three  leave  the  building  while  the  corps  still 
sat  at  meat.  It  was  even  permitted  that  some  should 
utter  a  word  or  two  of  farewell.  Man  after  man  Wil 
lett' s  fellows  had  taken  their  departure,  and  been  ac 
corded  by  the  gray  battalion  a  godspeed  more  or  less 
thunderous  as  the  individual  was  honored,  popular,  or 
merely  a  negative  quantity.  Willett  had  planned  to 
be  the  last  to  leave,  expectant  of  ovation  that  should 


206     TONIO,   SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

out-thunder  all  others,  but  the  officer  in  charge  appar 
ently  would  not  see  that  regulations  were  being  ignored, 
that  cadets  were  on  their  feet  about  the  head  of  certain 
tables,  actually  clinging  to  would-be  going  fellows,  in 
unbecoming  and  unaccustomed  "  cits/7  while  he  was 
forcibly  restrained  by  none.  So,  finally,  waving  his 
natty  straw  to  table  after  table,  he  passed  on  to  the 
broad-arched  entrance,  the  clamor  of  voice  and  the  bat 
tering  of  the  old  time  iron  stool  beginning  in  kindly  and 
cordial  fashion — they  would  not  send  a  dog  away,  those 
big-hearted  fellows,  without  some  show  of  friendliness — 
yet  in  all  that  array  he  numbered  not  one  real  friend, 
for  self-seeking  had  ever  been  his  creed  and  there  was 
no  man  of  their  sturdy  brotherhood  that  did  not  know 
it.  Beneath  the  arch  he  turned  and  gazed  once  more 
over  the  familiar  scene,  his  eyes  dry  and  glittering,  his 
throat  dry  and  husky.  Yearlings  and  some  upper  class 
men  were  making  lively  play  with  stamp  and  stool,  but 
the  din  was  more  perfunctory  than  powerful — nowhere 
near  what  had  happened  the  moment  before  when  two 
well-beloved  fellows,  with  bowed  heads  and  moistened 
eyes,  had  fairly  rushed  from  the  hall  lest  men  should 
see  that  at  last  there  had  come  realization  that  this  was 
the  parting  of  the  ways,  that  the  daily  habit  of  four 
long  years  was  shed  forever,  that  to  most  of  their  number 
the  greeting  of  the  gray  battalion  would  be  given  never 
again.  But  he  had  his  wits  about  him,  even  then.  He 
saw  that  now  at  last,  with  but  four  minutes  left  before 
''the  companies  must  rise  and  quit  the  hall,  Harris  was 
coming — the  new-made  first  captain,  adjutant  and 
quartermaster  escorting — the  commandants  of  table  all 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS     207 

over  the  hall  springing  to  their  feet,  and  the  wild  rumble 
of  hollow  iron  beginning  the  crescendo  of  swift-coming, 
stupendous  thunder,  and  Willett  stood  and  swung  his 
hat,  and  classmates  half-way  down  the  slope  turned 
back  to  see,  and  understood  without  seeing,  that  there 
was  something  back  of  it  besides  Willett.  And  then 
a  tornado  burst  forth,  as  Harris,  pale  to  the  lips,  halted 
at  the  door.  His  escort  sprang  aside,  and  to  a  man 
the  battalion  leaped  to  its  feet  and  let  go  with  voice 
and  foot  and  hand,  and  the  din  was  deafening.  One 
moment  he  stood  there,  trembling  with  emotion,  in 
capable  of  response,  then  whirled  and  darted  down  the 
steps,  leaving  Willett  to  acknowledge  the  tremendous 
ovation  that  speedily  died  away — almost  to  silence — 
ere  he,  too,  turned  and  followed.  "  Good-by,  fellows ! 
God  bless  you !  "  shouted  Willett,  as  though  in  final 
triumph.  He  had  had  the  last  word ;  had  "  taken  the 
call,"  and  the  dramatic  success  of  the  day  was  his,  or 
might  have  been,  but  for  a  most  unprecedented  incident. 
"  Hush !  hush !  Shut  up  !  "  were  the  stern,  sudden 
words  with  which  the  elders  repressed  the  juniors  who, 
impulsively,  would  have  broken  forth  again.  "  Wait ! 
Wait,  you  fellows !  "  was  the  cry,  for  on  a  sudden  half 
a  dozen  stalwart  gray  coats  had  sprung  from  the  door, 
regardless  of  the  corporal  on  duty,  disdainful  of  de 
merit,  had  hurled  themselves  on  wet-eyed  Harris,  had 
heaved  him  up  on  their  shoulders,  with  pinioned,  arm- 
locked,  helpless  legs,  and  frantic,  impotently  battling 
fists,  and  borne  him  struggling  up  the  steps  and  once 
more  within  the  massive  portals,  and  then  pandemonium 
broke  loose,  for  this  was  no  divided  honor — there  was 


208     TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

none  to  share  it  now.  They  bore  him,  vainly  protest 
ing,  into  the  midst  of  the  now  risen  battalion.  They 
bore  him  forth  into  the  June  sunshine  without.  They 
surged  about  him  under  the  trees  and  along  the  road 
way,  his  halted  classmates  gazing  back  from  the  brow 
of  the  bluff,  a  swarm  of  spectators  looking  on,  a  stupe 
fied  group  surging  out  from  the  officers'  mess,  conceiv 
ing  that  fire  alone  could  account  for  the  tumult.  Then, 
over  the  uproar,  could  be  heard  the  orders  of  the  new 
captain.  "  Form  your  companies !  "  the  shouts  of  the 
sergeants :  "  Fall  in,  men,  fall  in !  "  And  then  the 
demand :  "  March  us  back,  Hefty !  Take  command 
once  more !  "  "  Start  'em  back,  Harris,  for  God's  sake ! 
I  can  never  straighten  'em  out,"  cried  his  half -laughing, 
half-sobbing  successor,  his  first  sergeant  of  the  year 
gone  by.  He  stood  there  prisoner,  held  by  the  staff 
and  special  duty  men.  He  could  not  get  away.  Even 
the  saturnine  officer  in  charge  stood  a  smiling  observer, 
and,  catching  the  young  graduate's  eye,  waved  approval 
and  encouragement,  and  so  there  was  no  help  for  it. 
With  a  voice  half-broken  through  emotion,  he  gave  the 
old  familiar  commands  that,  three  times  a  day  for 
nearly  ten  long  months  previous,  had  sent  them  striding 
back  through  the  gap  between  the  old  "  Academic  "  and 
the  gray  gables  of  the  Mess,  and  so  on  to  the  broad  area 
of  barracks  beyond.  Then,  breaking  away,  he  sprang 
over  the  eastward  edge  of  the  road,  joined  the  waiting 
group  of  classmates  at  the  crest  of  the  hill,  and  with 
one  long  look  at  the  disappearing  gray  and  white  col 
umn,  turned  his  face  to  the  winding  road  and  the  land- 


TONIO,  SON  OF   THE   SIERRAS      209 

ing  below,  where  the  whistling  ferryboat  lay  impatient 
of  their  coming — whither  Willett  had  already  gone. 

Was  Willett  thinking  of  that  bygone  scene  this  breath 
less  evening  in  the  heart  of  the  desert  valley,  and  the 
shadow  of  the  westward  mountain,  as  his  once  successful 
soldier  rival  came  silently  forward  to  grace  his  triumph 
in  the  field  of  love?  Harris  at  least  was  not.  His 
bearing  was  quite  undramatic,  simple,  dignified.  His 
greeting  was  almost  too  simple.  "  I  can't  give  you  my 
right  hand,  Miss  Archer/'  said  he,  smiling  gravely, 
"  and  I  won't  give  a  left-handed  felicitation.  It's  my 
first  opportunity,"  he  continued,  as  he  stood  quietly  be 
fore  her,  looking  straight  into  her  blushing  face,  "  and 
I'm  sorry  it  has  to  be  in  such  shabby  fashion."  Then 
just  as  quietly  and  squarely  he  spoke  to  Willett,  the 
gray-blue  eyes  looking  keenly  into  the  brown.  "  You 
are  mightily  to  be  congratulated,  Willett,"  said  he, 
"  and  we'll  shake  hands  on  it  as  soon  as  I  have  a  hand 
to  shake  with." 

"  I  knew  you  would,  old  fellow !  "  said  Willett,  put 
ting  forth  the  unoccupied  hand  and  laying  it  upon  the 
other's  shoulder,  a  well-remembered  way  of  his  when 
he  wished  to  be  effusive.  "  I'm  coming  round  pres 
ently  to  have  a  talk — but  couldn't  help  coaxing  you  out 
now." 

"  How — is  your  shoulder,  Mr.  Harris  ?  "  began  our 
Lilian,  all  observant  of  physical  ills.  On  these,  at 
least,  she  could  pour  the  balm  of  her  sympathy. 

"  Doing  finely,  thank  you ;  and,  pardon  me,  but  the 
general  is  signalling.  You're  both  wanted,  I  judge," 
and  then,  like  the  .Union  force  at  Second  Bull  Run,  fell 


210     TONIO,  SON   OF  THE  SIERRAS 

back  in  the  best  of  order,  in  spite  of  the  worst  of  blows. 

"  I'll  be  with  you  again  before  a  great  while,  Hefty, 
old  boy,"  again  called  Willett  over  his  shoulder,  as 
though  insistent  on  an  invitation ;  but  an  assenting  nod 
was  all  that  came.  The  general  had  signalled  to  his 
children  because  of  the  concern  in  Bentley's  face  at 
sight  of  Harris  confronting  all  that  happiness,  but 
Bentley  need  not  have  feared  for  him.  He  would  not 
have  feared  could  he  have  seen  the  little  thing  that  hap 
pened.  She  had  put  forth  a  slender  hand,  half  timidly, 
as  Harris  stepped  backward.  She  was  thinking  even 
in  the  overmastering  presence  of  this  hero  whom  she 
worshipped,  and  to  whose  side  she  clung,  of  that  moonlit 
evening  on  the  veranda,  of  the  hiss  and  skirr  of  the 
deadly  rattler,  of  the  peril  that  had  menaced  and  the 
quick  wit  and  nerve  of  him  who  had  saved  her2  this 
very  plain,  sun-bleached,  seasoned  young  knight,  who 
seemed  quite  ready  to  risk  life  or  limb  in  her  defence, 
and  who,  said  Willett,  had  lost  most  of  his  heart.  It 
was  foolish  in  him,  with  her  Harold  there ;  still  it  was 
something  to  be  rewarded,  somehow,  and,  womanlike, 
she  tendered  the  contemplation  of  her  inaccessibility 
in  his  rival's  bliss.  "  You'll  come  to  see  us  soon,  Mr. 
Harris  ?  I've  so  much  to  thank  you  for." 

"  Just  as  soon  as  the  doctor  will  let  me,  Miss  Archer," 
was  his  entirely  proper  answer,  and  quite  as  properly 
our  Lilian  breathed  a  little  sigh  of  relief,  as,  nestling 
closer  still,  she  sped  lightly  homeward,  clinging  to  her 
lover's  side.  It  was  so  sweet  to  think  of  him  as  all  her 
own. 

It  is  the  mistake  other  and  older  girls  so  often  make. 


TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS     211 

Even  as  she  prattled  in  her  bliss,  looking  radiantly 
into  the  fond,  soft  brown  eyes  that  melted  into  hers, 
the  summons  of  a  rival  claimant  came  swiftly  down  the 
vale,  and  the  sentry  at  the  northward  post  and  the 
loungers  at  the  lookouts  were  already  screwing  their 
eyelids  into  focus  on  the  little  dust  cloud  popping  up 
along  the  stream  fringe  of  willow.  Two  couriers  came 
presently  jogging  into  view,  and  before  the  general 
sat  in  the  famous  butler's  pantry  chair  at  the  fami]y 
table,  he  had  told  the  contents  of  two  despatches  from 
the  Gray  Fox  in  the  field,  and  decided  for  the  moment 
to  say  nothing  of  the  third.  With  the  first  and  second, 
reporting  progress  and  enclosing  despatches  to  be  for 
warded  to  Prescott,  we  have  nothing  to  do.  With  the 
last  we  may  feel  less  concern  than  did  they.  Mrs. 
Archer,  scanning  the  clear-cut  face  of  her  soldier  lord, 
as  he  came  within  range  of  the  hallway  lamp,  knew 
perfectly  well  he  had  something  to  conceal,  and  with 
never  an  instant's  doubt  or  hesitation  set  herself  to 
aid  him.  Without  her  tact  and  skill  that  little  dinner 
of  four,  the  last  they  were  to  know  in  many  a  day, 
would  have  been  a  sorrowful  feast,  for  Archer  was 
sore  troubled  in  spirit.  Not  until  an  hour  later  could 
she  get  him  to  herself,  leaving  Lilian  and  her  handsome 
Harold  to  bill  and  coo  unsupervised,  and  then  she  only 
smiled  bravely  up  into  his  face  and  said,  "  ISTow  tell 
me,  dear." 

"  It's  that — that  fool  despatch  I  wrote  about  Harris 
coming  like  a  curse,  and  chickens,  home  to  roost."  His 
hands  were  tremulous,  his  lips  were  twitching  as  he 
took  from  its  envelope  and  unfolded  a  letter  in  the  well- 


212     TONIO,  SON   OF  THE   SIERRAS 

known  hand  of  the  field  commander's  favorite  aide- 
de-camp.  "  Eead  it  aloud/7  he  said ;  "  perhaps  it  won't 
sound  quite  so — reproachful  from  you."  And  obedi 
ently  she  read : 

PERSONAL  AND  CONFIDENTIAL. 

CAMP  NEAR  HEAD  OF  CHEVLON*S   CREEK, 

Decembers,  187- . 
DEAR  GENERAL  ARCHER: 

Referring  to  the  final  paragraph  of  your  despatch  to  Department 
Head-quarters,  dated  November  — th,  General  Crook  directs  me  to  say 
that  he  was  unaware  of  the  instructions  given  Lieutenant  Willett, 
aide-de-camp,  to  proceed  to  Camp  Almy,  and  practically  authorizing 
him  to  make  certain  investigations.  It  was  far  from  his  desire  that 
anything  should  be  done  to  even  inferentially  reflect  upon  the  con 
duct  of  scouting  parties  from  the  post  under  your  control.  From  re 
liable  sources  General  Crook  has  full  information  as  to  the  cause  of 
the  apparent  ill  success  of  Lieutenant  Harris.  Neither  was  he,  nor 
were  his  scouts,  to  blame.  It  is  the  general's  intention  to  see  you 
before  returning  to  Prescott  and  give  you  the  facts  in  his  possession; 
but  meantime  Lieutenant  Harris  has  his  entire  confidence,  and  so 
have  the  few  Apache-Mohave  scouts,  especially  'Tonio,  all  of  whom,  it 
is  feared,  have  in  some  way  incurred  your  disfavor. 

Captain  Stannard  is  away  at  this  moment,  but  will  assure  you  as  to 
the  value  and  gallantry  of  Harris's  effort  in  behalf  of  poor  Mrs.  Ben 
nett,  and  also  that  'Tonio  is  almost  equally  entitled  to  credit.  It  was 
far  from  General  Crook's  intention  that  Lieutenant  Harris  should  be 
impeded  or  hampered  in  the  least.  Lieutenant  Willett  has  rendered 
distinguished  service  in  the  Columbia  country,  but  is  a  stranger  to 
the  situation  and  the  Indians  we  have  to  deal  with,  and  should  not 
be  permitted  in  any  way  to  interfere  with  Lieutenant  Harris. 

Orders  were  sent  Willett  some  ten  days  ago  to  join  us  in  the  field, 
but  the  couriers,  returned  to-day,  report  that  he  was  not  at  Prescott. 
If  he  should  be  still  in  your  neighborhood,  kindly  inform  him  of  the 
general's  desire,  and  give  him  sufficient  escort.  We  move  toward 
Camp  Apache  to-morrow,  and  Stannard  is  already  ahead  in  hopes  of 
rescuing  the  Bennett  boys. 

With  the  general's  warmest  regards, 

Yours  as  ever,        BRIGHT. 


TONIO,  SON   OF   THE  SIERRAS     213 

"  It's  a  very  kind  letter,  dear/'  said  she,  kissing  his 
wrinkled  cheek.  "  General  Crook  wouldn't  wound  you 
for  the  world." 

"  It  isn't — that,  Bella,"  he  answered  sadly.  "  I've 
wounded  myself,  and  now  I've  got  to  send — him — with 
word  of  my  orders  as  to  "Tonio." 

"  Send    him — word  ? "     she    faltered.       "  Do    you 


mean " 


"Certainly,  dear.     Who  should  go— but  Willett?" 


CHAPTEE   XX. 

IT  was  then  lacking  nearly  an  hour  of  tattoo.  Al 
ready  the  arriving  couriers,  their  mission  executed,  their 
wearied  horses  turned  over  to  willing  hands  at  stables, 
their  hunger  appeased  at  the  troop  kitchen,  and  the 
pent-up  hankering  for  beer  still  unassuaged,  were  "  fill 
ing  up  "  at  the  expense  of  their  fellows  at  the  store, 
and  wistfully  looking  on  at  the  game. 

Munoz,  the  ever-ready;  Dago,  the  still  demoralized, 
and  one  or  two  of  their  burro-bred  community,  were 
settled  at  monte,  Dago  and  Munoz  eying  each  other 
like  gladiators,  and  already  a  table  had  started  at  stud 
poker,  that  might  readily  develop  into  "  draw."  The 
barkeeper  was  a  busy  man,  and  had  been  given  the  tip 
to  keep  sober  or  lose  the  last  hold  he  had  on  his  job. 
The  bookkeeper  had  for  a  few  days  past  moved  in  si 
lence  about  the  premises,  avoiding  the  common  room 
as  he  would  a  lazaretto,  avoiding  even  his  kind.  For 
most  of  the  week  he  had  been  utterly  unlike  himself — 
strange,  nervous,  restless,  starting  at  sudden  sounds, 
abrupt  in  speech  and  manner,  occasionally  springing  to 
the  door  and  stepping  forth  into  the  sunlight,  wander 
ing  about  with  hanging  head  and  hands  in  pocket,  com 
ing  back  and  slamming  into  his  seat  as  though  at  odds 
with  all  creation,  striving  desperately  to  concentrate  his 
thoughts  on  the  columns  of  figures,  and  failing  wretch- 


TONIO,  SON   OF   THE  SIERRAS     215 

edly.  "  Case  is  all  broke  up,"  said  Craney,  "  and 
damned  if  I  know  why.  Last  week  lie  was  the  most 
popular  man  in  Yavapai,  or  all  Arizona  for  that  mat 
ter."  What  Craney  and  his  partner  mortally  feared 
was  that  Case  would  take  to  drinking  again,  with  pay 
day  close  at  hand — the  time  of  all  others  Case  had  never 
yet  failed  them,  the  time  of  all  others  wrhen  breach  of 
faith  could  mean  nothing  short  of  breach  of  all  busi 
ness  relations.  But  up  to  nine  P.M.  this  night  of  pro 
spective  relaxation  Case  had  been  a  stalwart.  The  test 
was  yet  to  come. 

It  was  still  half  an  hour  of  tattoo  when  old  Buck- 
etts  came  into  Bentley's  quarters  and  found  that  skilled 
practitioner  replacing  the  bandages  and  sling  on  his 
patient's  shoulder.  The  tidings  brought  by  the  couri 
ers  and  given  out  by  Archer  had  long  since  been  di 
gested.  Bucketts  had  something  new.  "  Doc,"  said 
he,  "  if  you  have  anything  to  say  or  send  to  Stannard, 
now's  your  chance." 

"  Don't  call  me  '  Doc  ' !  "  snapped  Bentley.  "If 
there's  anything  I  hate  it's  this  curtailing  of  titles  as 
though  they  were  too  good  for  the  man  that  bears  them. 
One  of  these  days  you'll  get  your  double  bars,  if  you 
don't  die  of  over-eating,  and  then  how  will  you  like 
it  to  be  called  e  cap  '  ?  How'd  you  like  me  to  call  you 
'  Buck  '  now  ?  Who's  going  to  Stannard  ?  " 

"  Pass  the  '  buck/  "  said  the  quartermaster  senten- 
tiously.  "I  apologize.  But  Willett  starts  at  day 
break — takes  a  sergeant,  six  men  and  a  pack  outfit — 
thought  you'd  like  to  know.  Leaves  us  with  mighty  few 
cavalry,  now  that  Malloy  and  his  people  are  still  out." 


216     TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

"  What  keeps  them  ?  "  asked  Harris,  looking  up  from 
Bentley 's  busy  hands.  "  I  never  heard  what  they  were 
after." 

"  You  never  will,"  said  Bucketts,  "  unless  they  stum 
ble  on  it  by  accident,"  then  colored  under  the  look  of 
surprise,  almost  of  reproof,  in  the  younger  officer's  face. 
It  was  not  good  that  a  post  commander's  instructions 
to  his  men  at  arms  should  be  slightingly  spoken  of  by 
one  of  his  staff,  and  Bentley  knew  it;  but  Bucketts 
was  already  mentally  kicking  against  those  very  instruc 
tions.  Now  he  stood  abashed  and  awkward.  That 
Willett  should  be  going  seemed  to  Harris  of  small  mat 
ter — a  matter  of  course.  He  wished  himself  again 
in  Willett's  place. 

"  How  soon  can  you  let  me  be  going  ? "  he  asked 
Bentley. 

"  We  could  have  had  you  out  by  this  time  if  you'd 
only  quit  fretting,"  was  the  gruff  reply.  "  Well,  I 
suppose  Willett's  glad  of  a  chance  to  join  his  chief  ? " 
he  said  interrogatively,  though  never  looking  up. 

"  Not  unless  looks  belie  him,"  was  the  answer. 

Bentley  bent  lower  over  his  work.  "  No — physical 
hindrance  that  I  know  of,"  said  he  suggestively. 

"  It's  financial,  I  take  it,"  said  Bucketts  sturdily. 
"  Our  investigator  finds  it — expensive — here  at  Almy." 

So  the  sore  was  rankling  still,  and  that  luckless  order 
had  hurt  no  one  so  much  as  him  who  bore  it,  and  so 
those  who  might  have  been  his  friends  were  taking  a 
certain  malicious  comfort  in  his  discomfiture.  It  was 
not  Willett's  fault  that  he  had  come  thus  handicapped, 
but  one  thing  added  to  another  had  made  him  the  dis- 


TONIO,  SON  OF   THE  SIERRAS     217 

liked  of  men.  Was  it  in  compensation  for  this  that 
he  stood  so  beloved  of  women?  Then  Bucketts,  hav 
ing  thus  relieved  himself,  ventured  again  a  glance  at 
Harris,  and  the  younger  soldier's  eyes  were  on  his, 
searching,  questioning.  It  was  for  Bucketts  to  explain, 
and  he  did  it  thus : 

"  Excuse  me,  Mr.  Harris ;  I  am  not  over-partial  to 
this  distinguished  classmate  of  yours,  and,  to  put  it 
flatly,  I'm  no  more  his  friend  that  he  is  yours.  I'll 
say  good-night."  Whereupon  this  blunt  official  turned 
and  quit  the  room,  colliding  at  the  door  with  an  enter 
ing  form,  that  of  Strong,  whose  impact  added  to  the 
quartermaster's  distemper,  for  Strong  was  in  a  hurry, 
and  half-savage  mood. 

"  Doctor,"  said  he,  bolting  in,  with  scant  apology 
to  his  staggered  fellow  staff  officer,  "  Craney  wants  to 
know  if  you're  coming  down  to-night.  He's  worried 
a  bit  about  Case." 

"What's  the  matter  with  Case?"  asked  Bentley, 
barely  looking  up  from  the  final  tie  of  the  sling,  while 
Harris  settled  back  in  his  chair. 

"  That's  what  he  wants  to  ask  you.  I  don't  know, 
except  he  says  Case  hasn't  slept  for  six  nights,  and  he'll 
be  wild  as  a  hawk  when  the  paymaster  gets  here ;  wants 
you  to  give  him  something  to  make  him  sleep,  I  believe. 
I  told  him  I'd  tell  you,  and  now  the  general's  shooting 
off  his  quill  at  the  office.  Hope  you're  better,  Harris. 
Good-night." 

"  Reckon  I'll  have  to  go  down  awhile,  anyhow.  Har 
ris,  what  Bucketts  said  was  true,  though  he  oughtn't 
to  have  said  it.  Willett  has  been  playing  late  these 


218     TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS 

last  two  nights,  with  Watts,  principally,  but  Craney 
says  he  seemed  oddly  anxious  to  get  Case  into  the  game, 
and  Case  wouldn't  play — wouldn't  stay  about  the  place 
while  Willett  was  there — wouldn't  have  anything  to  do 
with  him.  Willett  has  lost  quite  a  lot,  I'm  told,  and 
now  he's  ordered  off." 

Harris  was  still  silent.  He  had  no  love  for  Willett, 
at  best.  He  had  had  in  their  cadet  days  more  reasons 
than  one  for  his  dislike.  He  had  far  more  reason  now, 
yet  never  dreamed  of  still  another — that  report  to  de 
partment  head-quarters.  But  Willett  was  his  class 
mate,  and,  outwardly,  they  were  friends.  Bentley  and, 
in  fact,  all  the  officers  at  Almy  were  new-found  ac 
quaintances,  well  as  some  few  were  known  to  him  by 
reputation.  Still,  it  came  to  him  something  of  a  shock 
that  Hal  Willett  should  no  sooner  seem  well  enough  to 
be  about  than  he  should  turn  directly  from  her  good 
night  words — her  kiss,  perhaps — to  the  gambling  table 
and  its  probable  accompaniments.  It  boded  ill  for  the 
happiness  of  that  sweet  girl's  future,  and  as  Harris  sat 
brooding,  Bentley,  unheard,  unnoted,  slipped  away,  and 
presently,  with  brisk  step  and  buoyant  mien,  Hal  Wil 
lett  himself  came  bounding  in.  Barely  ten  minutes 
ago  Bucketts  had  given  the  impression  that  he  seemed 
dejected,  dispirited,  yet  Willett  now  was  confidence  and 
energy  personified. 

"  Hefty,  old  boy,  how  much  cash  have  you  got  in 
hand  ?  I  want  three  hundred  dollars." 

There  was  no  answer  for  a  moment.  Well  as  Harris 
thought  he  knew  Willett,  this  was  a  surprise. 

"  What  for  ?  "  were  the  exact  words  of  the  response. 


TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS     219 

and  neither  in  tone  nor  manner  were  there  encourage 
ment. 

"  IVe  got  to  pull  out  at  dawn,  I  suppose  you've 
heard,  and  I  shouldn't  like  to  leave  I.O.U.'s — here !  " 
And  now  the  cheery  confidence  seemed  evaporating. 
Willett's  face  was  shading. 

"  Won't  you  sit  down  ?  "  asked  Harris  reflectively. 
"  I'd  like  to  know  something  about — this." 

"  There  isn't  time,  Harris.  I'm  in  a  hole,  so  to 
speak.  I  hate  to  bother  you,  but  I'd  rather  come  to  a 
classmate  and  old  friend,  who  is  in  position,  as  I  know, 
to  help  out,  than  give  these  fellows  a  chance  to  talk. 
Probably  they've  been  talking  already,  and  you've 
heard,"  and  now,  with  something  like  a  resumption 
of  the  old  familiar  manner  of  their  boy  days  at  the 
Point,  Willett  settled  on  the  broad,  flat  arm  of  the  re 
clining  chair  and  threw  his  own  arm,  long  and  muscu 
lar,  over  the  back.  There  had  come  to  be  a  saying  in 
the  gray  battalion,  when  Willett  was  seen  strolling 
with  a  comrade,  his  arm  caressingly  encircling  him, 
"Well,  Willett's  doing  the  bunco  act  again."  Pos 
sibly  it  was  the  instinctive  shrinking  of  the  wounded 
shoulder;  certain  it  was  that  Harris  drew  perceptibly 
away,  and  Willett  noticed  it  "  I  didn't  hurt  you,  did 
I?  "said  he. 

"  It's  rather  touchy  yet,"  was  the  answer. 

"  Well,  say,  Hefty,  here's  the  situation.  You  don't 
play,  so  you  won't  appreciate,  maybe,  and  I  only  play 
once  in  a  good  while,  but  they  rung  in  a  brace  game 
on  me.  That  fellow  Case  is  no  better'n  a  professional, 
saw  for  yourself  here  what  a  cad  he  could 


220     TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

be.  He  got  my  money  that  Saturday  night  and  Sun 
day,  and  since  then,  like  the  cad  he  is,  has  refused  to 
play  it  out — give  me  a  chance  to  get  it  back— 

"  Do  you  play  with  cads  ?  "  interrupted  Harris. 

"  K"ot  when  I  know  it — to  start  with,'7  answered 
Willett,  flushing  and  beginning  to  draw  away.  Ob 
viously  the  affectionate  and  confidential  method  was 
a  failure.  "  But  when  a  man's  got  your  money,  cad 
or  no  cad,  you  want  it  back." 

"  And  Case  has  your  three  hundred  dollars  i '" 

"  Just  about.  Then  I  owe  Craney  and  Watts  quite 
a  lot.  I  lost  a  hundred  in  cash  in  the  first  place.  I 
never  saw  such  luck  in  all  my  life !  And  now,  instead 
of  going  back  to  Prescott,  I've  got  to  skip  for  the  war 
path.  Watts  says  the  money  he  gave  me  in  chips  he 
owes  to  others  who  were  in  the  game  at  one  time  or 
other,  and  he  needs  currency,  not  I.O.U.'s.  Looks  like 
a  regular  combine,  doesn't  it  ?  " 

"  You  couldn't  expect  to  win — everything  there  was 
in  sight,"  said  Harris  quietly. 

Willett  flushed  again.  He  had  slipped  from  the 
broad  arm  to  the  narrow  camp  chair  recently  occupied 
by  the  doctor.  Harris  was  displaying  unexpected  re 
sistance.  Willett  had  been  accustomed  to  speedier 
surrender  to  his  advances. 

"  It's  more  on  that  account  than  any  other  I  hate 
to  leave  here  with  these  things  hanging  over  me,"  he 
answered  moodily.  Then,  by  way  of  expediting  mat 
ters,  "  Time's  mighty  short — short  as  /  am — and  Watts 
says  you  have  a  stack  of  greenbacks  in  the^afe." 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS     221 

Again  silence  a  moment.  Then  Harris  turned  fully 
upon  his  visitor  and  spoke  deliberately. 

"  You  ask  me  to  do  what  I  declared  three  years  ago 
I  never  would  do,  and  that  I  have  refused  to  do  ever 
since — loan  a  man  money  with  which  to  gamble  or 
pay  gambling  debts.  I  need  this  money,  Willett,  to 
send  home.  I've  been  saving  and  sending  home  ever 
since  I  joined,  but  that's  not  why  I  won't  play — and 
don't  drink." 

"  Oh,  we  know  how  virtuous  you  are !  "  began  Wil 
lett,  with  something  like  a  sneer,  but  was  checked  with 
sudden,  startling  force.  Harris  almost  sprang  from  his 
chair. 

"  None  of  that,  Willett !  "  he  cried,  his  voice  harsh 
with  anger.  "  Your  ways  and  mine  are  wide  apart, 
but  I'll  stand  no  sneering.  You  come  to  me  for  help 
and  you're  going  to  get  it,  not  because  you  scoff  at  my 
views,  but  in  spite  of  it ;  not  for  your  sake,  but  that  of 
the  old  Academy.  You  and  I  are  the  only  West  Point 
ers  at  this  post,  bar  the  dear  old  general.  You  and  I  are 
classmates,  and  I  know  you,  and  don't  believe  in  you, 
but  the  money's  yours  for  the  asking.  You  say  you 
come  to  me  as  an  old  friend,  and  I  have  never  had  faith 
in  your  friendship.  I  know  how  other  men's  and  some 
women's  names  have  suffered  at  your  hands,  and  I  don't 
know  what  you  may  have  done  to  mine,  but —  "  and  now 
Harris  was  on  his  feet,  standing  over  Willett — sitting 
there  gripping  the  frail  arms  of  a  canvas-covered  strad 
dle-box,  and  looking  up  into  the  elder  soldier's — the 
junior  officer's — face  in  amaze.  Never  before  had  Wil 
lett  been  so  braved  by  man  or  woman — "  But  your  name 


222      TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

shall  be  protected  for  just  two  reasons — and  protected 
just  so  long  as  you  can  show  you're  worth  it.  But — 
Willett,  I'm  not  preaching  on  drink  or  gambling  now. 
There's  another  thing  you've  got  to  stop — or  I'm  done 
with  you."  And  then  Harris  himself  stopped  short. 

"  I  don't  know  what  you  mean,"  began  Willett,  shift 
ing  uneasily. 

"  You  do  know  what  I  mean !  You've  only  to  go 
back  to  your  graduating  June,  when  you  were  spooning 
day  and  night  over  a  society  flirt  there  at  the  hotel— 
a  married  woman  at  that — and  your  mantel-shelf  was 
stacked  high  with  unopened,  unanswered  letters  from 
the  poor  girl  you  were  engaged  to.  You  were,  Willett, 
in  sight  of  God  and  man,  so  don't  deny  it!  And  she 
was  telegraphing  to  me  in  pity  to  say  was  Harold  sick 
— or  what.  She  broke  with  you,  of  course,  after  you 
broke  her  heart.  And  you've  been  at  that  sort  of  thing 
ever  since,  unless  the  Division  of  the  Pacific  is  a  nest 
of  liars — oh,  bosh!  I  don't  count  Case,  though  it's 
like  enough  he  told  the  truth.  But  now,  Willett,  you're 
here  I  and — wrhat  have  we  to  expect  at  Almy  ?  " 

"  Damn  my  past  all  you  like,  Harris.  !N"o  man's 
more  ashamed  of  it  than  I,  but  don't  damn  my  future !  " 
And  now  Willett  was  on  his  feet,  his  eyes  snapping,  his 
face  aflame.  "  I  was  never  so  earnest  in  my  life. 
[Small  comfort  that!  thought  Harris.]  I  never  knew 
before  what  it  was  to  be  utterly  in  earnest.  Stop  it! 
Why,  man,  where  have  I — or  you — ever  known  a  girl 
like  her?  Stop  it!  Oh,  here,  Hefty,  I  can't  talk  as 
-I  feel.  You  must  see  how  different  this  is — how  much 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE   SIERRAS     223 

this  means  to  me !  The  man  doesn't  deserve  to  live  that 
— that  could  be  untrue  to  a  girl  like  that  ?  " 

"  That's — sound  enough/'  said  poor  Hefty.  "  But 
how  long  will  you  hold  to  it  ?  " 

"  So  long  as  I  live,  Harris/'  was  the  solemn,  the  sur 
prising  answer.  "  God  knows  I  mean  it/'  and  Wil- 
lett  held  forth  his  hand. 

And  Willett  believed  he  meant  it — firmly,  solemnly 
believed  he  meant  it,  and  his  handsome  face  was  never 
handsomer,  never  more  eloquent  of  love,  repentance, 
determination  to  do  a  man's  manful  part  in  furtherance 
of  his  devotion  than  at  this  moment  when,  in  the  dimly 
lighted,  scantily  furnished,  low-ceilinged  little  room, 
these  two  men  of  different  mould,  these  classmates  of 
the  nation's  soldier  school,  stood  and  looked  into  each 
other's  eyes,  and  slowly  Harris  began  to  stretch  forth 
his  left  hand,  then,  stopping  suddenly,  slipped  the  right 
forearm  from  its  broad  white  sling,  steadied  the  elbow 
with  his  left,  and  slowly  turned  the  thin,  feeble  fingers 
to  meet  the  warm  clasp  of  that  before  him. 

"  It's  one  of  'Tonio's  tricks,"  said  he.  "  Mano  rec 
to,  mano  cierto.  Stick  to  that,  Willett,  and,  by  God, 
I'll  stand  by  you  in  spite  of  everything  I've  ever  thought 
or  heard.  Steady !  " 

Somebody  was  at  the  door.  Harris  saw  and  checked 
the  effusive  thanks  on  Willett's  lips. 

"  What's  that  about  'Tonio  ? "  said  a  ringing  voice, 
as  a  "  blouse  "  and  buttons  followed  the  blue  sleeve 
into  the  field  of  vision,  and  the  adjutant  came  slowly 
in.  "  Queer  !  D'you  know  I  was  thinking  of  him  that 
very  minute.  Signal  fire  out  south-east!  Some  Ind- 


224     TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS 

ians  want  to  talk  and  afraid  to  come  in.  Turner's  gone 
out  with  a  squad  to  sample  'em.  Willett,  how  soon  are 
you  coming  over?  The  general's  got  the  despatches 
ready." 

"  Eight  away,  if  you  like !     What's  it  now  ?  " 

"  Ten  twenty,"  said  Strong,  with  a  squint  at  his 
watch.  "  There's  no  hurry.  He's  writing  personals 
now,  and  Bentley's  just  up  from  the  store.  There's 
news  in  of  some  kind  from  McDowell  way,  and  Munoz 
and  Sanchez  have  jumped  the  game  and  quit.  You'll 
probably  have  Tatchie  guides  after  all,  Willett.  Going 
down  to  the  store  after  awhile  ?  " 

"  For  a  moment,  perhaps,  after  I've  said  good-night 
at  the  general's,"  answered  Willett,  anxious  now  to  end 
the  business  and  be  away.  But  in  came  Bentley. 

"Get  back  to  the  office,  Strong,"  said  he ;  "the  general 
wants  you;  Turner's  in  and  says  there's  no  one  near 
the  fire,  no  one  to  answer.  All  they  found  was  this. 
The  general  thought  you  might  understand  it,  Harris. 
It  lay  on  a  rock  by  the  fire." 

He  held  forth  a  single  feather,  gray  and  white,  tied 
with  a  bit  of  pink  tape  to  a  scrap  of  cardboard,  torn 
from  some  cartridge  case  and  folded  over.  Within, 
roughly  traced  in  paint,  were  two  figures — a  3  and  a  2. 

"  It  means,  'Tonio,"  said  Harris  simply,  "  and  he 
wants  to  talk.  What  has  happened  that  he  should  be 
afraid  to  come  in — here  ?  " 

Willett  heard  and  knew  and  would  have  stayed,  but 
the  doctor  for  once  looked  embarrassed,  and  Strong  sig 
nalled  Willet  to  come  with  him.  "  I'll  be  back  pres 
ently,  Hefty,"  said  Willett  significantly,  and  vanished. 


TONIO,  S'ON  OF  THE   SIERRAS      225 

Even  then  Bentley  faltered.  "  I'll  let  the  general 
answer  that/7  said  he.  "  How  can  'Tonio  be  sum 
moned  in  ?  " 

"  Only  as  I  did,  at  the  Peak,  and  on  honor  that  he 
may  go/'  was  the  answer.  "  Unless — I  can  go  out  to 
him." 

'  You  can't — to-night,  anyhow !  Is  there  no  one 
else  he'll  meet  who  can  understand  him  ?  " 

"  Only  one  American — Case." 

"  Humph !  "  was  the  answer,  with  a  shrug  and  a 
keen,  inquiring  look  in  the  doctor's  eyes.  "  I've  shown 
it  to  Case,  and  he  says  'Tonio  has  only  one  object  in 
life  now,  in  or  out  of  the  post,  and  that  is  to  square 
accounts  with  Willett,  who  was  ass  enough  to  strike 
him.  This  from  Case,  mind  you,  who,  I  believe,  hates 
Willett  himself.  I've  just  got  him  stowed  away  for 
the  night.  Had  to  take  him  out  of  earshot  of  the  store 
and  put  him  in  limbo  at  Craney's  shack,  where  he  can't 
hear  what's  going  on.  I  gave  him  a  dose  that  would 
flatten  out  St.  Vitus  himself.  There'll  be  no  budging 
Case  this  night  unless — but  that  isn't  likely." 

"  Then  I  need  to  go  and  see  the  general,"  said  Harris. 

"  Then  the  general  will  come  to  see  you — here.  My 
word  for  it,"  said  Bentley,  and  went  his  way. 

It  was  then  nearly  eleven.  Five  minutes  later  Wil 
lett,  with  relieved  heart  and  elastic  step,  was  hastening 
back  to  the  general's  quarters  where  sweet,  yet  tearful, 
welcome  awaited  him.  An  hour  later  he  stepped  forth 
into  the  starlight,  turning  to  kiss  his  hand  and  wave  si 
lent  good-night  to  a  slender,  shadowy  form  at  the  door 
way,  under  the  shelter  of  the  gallery.  Something  in  its 


226     TONIO,   SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS 

pathetic  droop  and  distress  called  him  once  again  to  her 
side,  and  with  fond,  clasping  arms  he  drew  the  sobbing 
girl  to  his  heart  and  pressed  kiss  after  kiss  upon  the 
upturned,  tear- wet  little  face.  "  Try  to  sleep,  my  dar 
ling  !  "  he  murmured.  "  Mother  will  wake  you  at  four, 
and  we'll  have  a  moment  before  I  go !  " 

"  Mother  won  t  have  to  wake  me !  "  she  cried,  cling 
ing  to  him  the  while.  "  Oh,  Harold,  if  you  only  had 
not — to  meet  'Tonio  again !  " 

"  ~No  fear  of  'Tonio,  sweetheart,"  he  answered. 
"  Now,  go  I  must!"  And  so,  with  her  kiss  upon  his 
lips,  he  left  her  to  be  led  by  loving  mother  hands  to  her 
little  white  room,  and  to  her  humble  prayers,  and  the 
love-guarded  pillow,  where,  lying  wide-awake,  still  an 
hour  later,  she  heard  the  shot  and  stifled  scream  that 
called  a  garrison  to  arms. 


CHAPTER   XXL 

THE  early  game  at  Craney's  had  languished  that 
evening.  It  was  too  near  pay-day — the  wrong  way — • 
for  money  to  be  burning  in  soldier's  pockets,  and  when 
the  soldier  has  none  the  garrison  hanger-on  has  no  one 
to  look  to.  The  couriers  from  the  field  column,  being 
comfortably  filled  and  fairly  well  tired,  meandered 
off  with  their  martial  chums  at  tattoo.  The  few  ranch 
ers  and  packers  hovered  about  the  monte  table  awhile, 
hopeful,  perhaps,  of  a  clash  between  Dago  and  Mufioz, 
but  even  this  hope  was  crushed  when,  just  about  taps, 
two  belated  Mexicans,  innocent  or  reckless  of  the  prox 
imity  of  signalling  Indians  across  the  stream,  came  mule- 
bestriding  into  the  glare  of  the  common  room  sconces 
and  "  ola'd,"  for  Sanchez,  who  hurried  out  to  meet 
them,  heard  their  excited  tale,  cashed  in  his  few  chips, 
and  took  himself  and  fellows  off.  "  Barkeep  "  stuck 
his  head  through  the  port-hole  to  the  adjoining  sanctum 
where  sat  Craney,  Watts,  and  that  semi-military  official 
known  as  the  "  contract  doctor/'  expectant,  possibly, 
of  others  coming,  and  told  them  of  the  "  greasers' ' 
doings,  whereat  Case,  nervously,  irritably  pacing  the 
floor,  looked  up  in  sudden  interest  and  speedily  plunged 
out  into  the  darkness.  Then  Bentley  had  come,  just  at 
the  time  when  the  few  packers  and  ranch  folk  were 
making  a  noise,  and  Case  had  reappeared,  looking 


228     TONIO,  SON   OF   THE  SIERRAS 

wilder,  if  anything,  and  declaring  the  greasers  must 
have  gone  down  to  the  old  Sanchez  place,  Indian  or  no 
Indian.  Then  Bentley  had  felt  his  pulse  and  asked  a  lot 
of  questions,  and  led  him  off  into  a  corner  for  a  little 
talk,  and  finally  had  prevailed  on  him  to  try  to  sleep 
in  the  vacant  room  at  the  "  Shack,"  as  Craney's  own 
log-built  cabin  was  called,  and  had  led  him  away  thither. 
He  had  never  fairly  gotten  over  the  recent  spree,  said 
Craney.  He  would  never  explain  what  had  induced 
him  that  Sunday  afternoon  to  quit  his  old  resort  in  the 
willows  and  go  up  to  the  officers'  quarters,  but  go  he 
had,  for  "  Sudstown  "  had  seen  him,  and  had  seen  him 
later  slinking  back  the  longest  way  round  to  the  store, 
keeping  far  from  everybody,  and  looking  badly  shaken 
up.  It  was  known,  somehow,  that  he  had  been  to  the 
doctor's  quarters,  and,  being  half  drunk,  had  got  into 
Lieutenant  Harris's  room  and  there  had  made  some 
noise  and  been  ordered  out.  Eumor  had  it  that  there 
had  been  a  scene  between  him  and  Lieutenant  Willett, 
of  which  neither  would  speak,  and  the  doctor  had  laid 
his  commands  on  the  attendant  to  know  absolutely  noth 
ing  about  it — indeed,  there  was  little  he  did  know,  save 
that  there  had  been  a  disturbance.  It  was  supposed 
at  the  store,  and  generally  in  the  garrison,  that  Case 
had  been  drinking  just  enough  to  make  him  irrespon 
sible,  and  in  this  condition  he  had  ventured  up  to  the 
post  and  made  an  ass  of  himself  just  when  he  was  being 
trumpeted  as  a  lion.  Then,  instead  of  having  his  spree 
out  he  had  tried  to  taper,  hence  the  highly  nervous  con 
dition  that  had  followed,  which,  instead  of  getting  bet 
ter,  seemed  getting  worse. 


TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS     229 

"  I've  fixed  him/'  said  Bentley,  "  provided  he  keeps 
his  word/'  and  then,  bidding  Craney  good-night,  had 
gone  to  garrison,  and  found  the  general  perturbed  over 
Turner's  report  and  the  story  about  Muiioz.  Together 
they  had  gone  to  the  store  again,  the  general  and  his 
medicine-man,  to  have  some  half-breed  interpret  the 
message  of  the  feather,  but  by  this  time  none  was  left. 
Together  they  had  looked  in  on  Case  and  found  him 
drowsy  and  indifferent,  but  both  the  commander  and 
his  faithful  ally  distinctly  heard  his  half-mumbled 
words  as  to  'Tonio's  one  object  in  life  ere  they  came 
away,  satisfied  that  Case  would  be  of  no  further  use 
for  another  night  and  day.  Then  Bentley  had  hurried 
to  his  other  patient  with  the  result  we  have  already 
noted,  and  a  little  later  the  general  went  with  him  for 
still  another  visit,  to  soothe  and  reassure  Harris,  for  the 
invalid  officer  was  mad  to  be  up  and  doing.  There  was 
something  in  the  air. 

Later  still  a  stupid  three-handed  cribbage  game  was 
going  on  when,  after  eleven  o'clock,  Willett  came  briskly 
in.  Strong  had  about  given  him  up  and  was  going  home 
in  spite  of  an  unsettled  account  in  his  favor,  which 
Willett  had  proposed  to  play  off.  They  were  all  tired 
and  ready  for  bed,  and  were  only  up  because  Willett 
was  to  leave  and  should  "  square  things  "  before  leaving 
the  post.  The  cribbage  game  stopped  at  sight  of  him. 
Craney  went  with  him  to  the  private  desk  in  the  inner 
office,  whence  in  five  minutes  out  he  came,  buoyant  as 
before,  declined  to  sit  in  again,  laughingly  said  he'd 
take  his  revenge  on  the  back  trip  later,  called  for  a 
night-cap  all  round,  bade  everybody  in  the  room  a  cor- 


230     TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS 

dial  good-night  and  good-by,  and  left  with  Strong  at 
his  heels. 

"  By  gad !  "  said  Craney,  "  he  may  not  play  like  a 
sport,  but  he  pays  like  one,  and  a  game  one/7  and  he 
locked  a  roll  of  treasury  notes  in  his  safe.  Then  he 
and  Watts  and  the  disappointed  deputy  doctor  went  off 
to  bed,  leaving  "  barkeep  "  to  close  up  when  the  few 
loungers  quit  paying  for  drinks,  and  only  in  the  com 
mon  room  was  there  further  stir  about  the  store.  Ar 
rived  at  the  shack,  as  Craney  declared  in  the  morning, 
he  had  taken  a  candle  and  gone  softly  to  the  back  room 
where  he  found  Case  in  bed  and  either  dozing  or  drowsy 
or  drugged — at  all  events  he  cared  not  to  speak.  His 
hat,  coat  and  trousers  hung  on  a  chair;  his  shoes  were 
at  the  foot  of  the  bed,  his  watch  on  the  table  by  his 
side,  his  money  was  locked  in  the  trader's  safe.  Some 
medicine  and  a  spoon  stood  by  the  watch.  There  was 
no  light  in  the  room  save  that  which  Craney  carried; 
the  one  window  was  blanketed;  sufficient  air  came 
through  the  loopholes,  and  the  window  sash  was  down 
against  the  hound  pups  that  would  otherwise  have  had 
free  entrance.  Then  Craney  went  to  bed  and  almost 
immediately  to  sleep,  and  heard  nothing  until  after  one 
o'clock,  when,  with  shocking  news,  men  came  banging 
at  his  double-locked  and  bolted  door. 

Strong  was  one  of  the  first  to  stir  him,  and  Strong's 
face  was  white,  as  well  it  might  be.  As  the  sentries 
began  calling  midnight  he  had  left  Willett  at  the  office, 
saying  he  must  turn  in  for  a  few  hours'  rest.  Willett, 
seemingly  in  excellent  spirits,  had  been  writing  a  few 
pages  and  addressing  envelopes. 


TONIO,  SON   OF  THE   SIERRAS     231 

"  I'll  follow  in  twenty  minutes  or  so/7  said  he,  "  for 
I,  too.,  need  a  snooze.  I'll  be  up  as  soon  as  IVe  finished 
^  little  business.77  Strong  had  gone  almost  immediately 
to  his  pillow  and  to  sleep,  and  was  roused  by  the  cor 
poral  of  the  guard  who  had  run  in  to  call  him  with 
the  news  that  Lieutenant  Willett  had  been  shot  dead. 

At  the  moment  of  the  shooting,  so  later  said  the 
guard,  the  waning  moon,  only  a  dull  crescent,  was  up 
far  enough  above  the  eastward  heights  to  throw  a  faint 
gleam  over  the  valley.  One  of  Turner 7s  own  men  was 
on  post  at  the  south-east  corner,  and  his  yell  for  the 
corporal,  instantly  following  the  distant  shot,  was  so 
excited  and  vehement  that  the  infantry  non-commis 
sioned  officer,  who  went  at  a  run,  was  minded  to  rebuke 
him  for  raising  such  a  row  over  a  mere  shooting  scrape 
among  the  Mexican  packers.  "  Packers,  your  granny !  77 
said  Number  Six.  "  It7s  Lieutenant  Willett  that's  shot, 
and  I  know  it!  He  came  down  out  of  the  office  not 
twenty  minutes  ago  and  went  straight  out  south  for 
Craney7s  shack,  and  I'm  betting  he7s  done  for.'7 

And  so  indeed  it  looked  when  they  found  him  but 
few  minutes  later — the  whole  guard,  save  the  relief  on 
post,  coming  swift  at  the  run  to  the  corporal's  cry,  and 
the  garrison  turning  out,  thinking  sure  it  was  fire. 
Three  hundred  yards  or  so  south  and  east  of  the  shack 
they  found  him  lying  flat  on  his  face,  which  seemed 
forced  into  the  soil,  senseless,  and  for  the  moment  ap 
parently  dead.  Even  when  they  turned  him  over  and 
dashed  water  into  his  face,  and  brushed  away  the  sand, 
there  was  no  sign  of  life,  nor  sign  of  shot  wound.  ISTot 
until  the  doctor  came  on  the  run,  urged  by  breathless 


232      TONIO,  SON   OF   THE  SIERRAS 

messenger,  was  the  tiny  bullet-hole  found  under  the  left 
armpit,  and  such  blood  as  had  escaped  seemed  absorbed 
by  the  underwear.  Internal  hemorrhage  was  feared  as 
they  unfastened  his  uniform  and  sought  for  further 
wound  and  found  none.  Craney  bade  them  carry  him 
to  his  own  room,  where  there  would  be  better  light,  and 
while  some  of  them  laid  him  on  Craney's  bed  and  others 
carefully  scouted  the  surrounding  willows  for  trace  of 
the  assassin,  and  others  still  went  in  and  stirred  up 
Case,  sleeping  heavily,  stupidly,  "  like  a  hog,"  said  an 
indignant  few  until  told  of  the  doctor's  "  dope."  Then 
Bentley  came  and  drove  all  but  an  attendant  or  two, 
and  Strong  and  Craney,  from  the  room,  until  the  gen 
eral  arrived,  his  own  face  ashen,  to  ask  what  hope  was 
left,  got  but  a  dubious  headshake  in  reply,  and  then 
sat  him  down,  buried  his  sorrowing  white  head  in  his 
hands,  and  began  to  upbraid  himself : 

"  It's  all  my  fault — my  doing,"  said  he.  "  I  see  it 
all.  I  said  the  words  that  sent  him !  " 

And  then  to  Bentley  and  Craney  the  veteran  soldier 
told  his  story.  He  had  had  difficulty,  as  Bentley  knew, 
in  persuading  Harris  not  to  get  up — not  to  attempt  to 
find  'Tonio  that  night ;  to  wait  until  day,  when  the  Ind 
ian  more  easily  might  be  reached.  It  was  late  when  he 
left  Harris,  and  was  surprised  to  see  lights  at  the  office. 
There,  all  alone,  was  Willett,  writing,  and  to  Willett 
Archer  told  the  message  of  the  feather,  and  of  Harris's 
eagerness  to  find  'Tonio  at  once. 

"  Harris  still  holds  that  'Tonio  is  utterly  wronged, 
or  at  least  utterly  misunderstood,"  said  he,  "  and  that, 
Indian  as  he  is,  'Tonio  would  not  revenge  himself  on 


TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS     233 

you  as  we  supposed.  'Tonio  knows  he  is  suspected  of 
the  attempt  to  kill  you,  and  yet  wishes  to  come  in  and 
be  tried.  All  he  asks  is  fair  play  and  trial  before  Crook 
himself.  Then/'  continued  Archer,  "  I  asked  Willett 
in  so  many  words  if  it  were  true  that  he  had  struck 
'Tonio  with  a  gauntlet  that  night  at  Bennett's,  and  he 
said,  reluctantly,  it  was — that  'Tonio  had  been  inso 
lent,  insubordinate,  that  that  was  the  way  he  had  always 
dealt  with  such  cases.  Perhaps  with  men  like  'Tonio 
it  was  all  wrong,  but  he  had  never  met  Indians  like 
'Tonio  before.  I  told  him  gravely  that  he  had  made 
a  serious  error,  and  that  he  should  lose  no  time  in  get 
ting  word  to  'Tonio  that  he  realized  this  and  desired  to 
make  amend.  Willett  said  he  would  do  it  the  very 
first  time  they  met — that  he  knew  how  to  bring  'Tonio 
in  and  would  talk  to  him,  man  to  man.  I  told  him  that 
it  would  be  well  to  do  this  before  quitting  the  valley, 
on  his  way  out  in  the  morning,  perhaps.  But,  my 
God !  "  continued  poor  Archer,  as  he  glanced  at  the 
senseless  form  over  which  physician  and  attendants 
were  still  working,  "  I  never  dreamed  of  his  going  out 
to-night.  He  said  he  should  signal  for  a  talk  at  the 
moment  of  starting  with  his  escort,  and  so,  probably, 
meet  'Tonio  near  the  Peak." 

A  solemn  little  gathering  was  this  at  the  shack,  while 
up  at  the  quarters  two  sorrow-stricken  women,  Mrs. 
Archer  and  Mrs.  Stannard,  were  striving  to  soothe  and 
still  poor  Lilian,  to  whom  the  truth  had  had  to  be  told. 
All  the  officers  were  up  and  astir,  some  of  them  con 
ferring  with  their  gray-faced  commandant  at  the  door 
way,  others  heading  the  search  over  among  the  willows 


234     TONIO,  SON   OF  THE   SIERRAS 

and  down  the  stream.  A  strange  fact  had  developed. 
Only  one  shot  had  been  heard,  only  one  shot  hole  had 
been  discovered  (and  the  probe  indicated  that  the  bul 
let,  having  struck  a  rib,  had  been  deflected  downward, 
where  it  was  not  yet  located),  but  while  this  had  pro 
duced  shock  and,  possibly,  temporary  unconsciousness, 
it  was  another  blow,  one  with  a  blunt  instrument,  prob 
ably  more  than  one,  upon  the  back  of  the  head,  that  re 
sulted  in  this  prolonged  stupor.  Not  once  had  Willett 
regained  consciousness,  nor,  said  Bentley,  was  it  likely 
that  he  would.  Bentley  feared  concussion  of  the  brain. 
Turner,  a  capital  trailer,  with  some  of  the  best  of  his 
'  men,  was  working  down  stream,  and  all  who  knew 
Turner  felt  that  no  trace  would  be  bunglingly  trampled 
out.  The  few  patchways  along  the  west  bank,  through 
the  willows,  showed  recent  tracks  on  only  one,  where  the 
Mexicans  and  half-breeds  had  scurried  away  toward  the 
old  Sanchez  place.  Already  a  strong  party  had  been 
sent  thither  in  search,  but  meantime  Turner  was  look 
ing,  as  he  frankly  said,  "  for  'Tonio's  tracks  about  the 
ford,"  for  within  forty  paces  of  the  lower  ford  poor 
Willett  was  found,  and  in  the  minds  of  every  man  and 
woman  who  could  hold  a  listener  that  night  no  other  ex 
planation  was  either  sought  or  expected.  The  fact  that 
both  shores  of  the  stream  were  stony  above  and  below  the 
spot — that  it  would  be  easy  for  an  Indian  to  conceal 
them,  would  account  for  it  if  their  footprints  were 
lacking,  but  lacking  they  were  not.  In  a  dozen  places 
about  the  ford  and  down  the  east  bank,  in  a  dozen 
places  around  the  spot  where  lay  the  stricken  officer, 
the  earliest  comers  had  seen  and  marked  and  protected 


TONIO,  SON   OF  THE  SIERRAS     235 

against  obliteration  print  after  print  of  the  moccasins 
of  the  Apache-Mohaves — 'Tonio's  own  band.  This  in 
itself  was  wellnigh  proof  positive,  but  more  was  to 
come. 

Willett's  trail  was  easily  found  and  followed.  Straight 
and  swift  he  had  gone  across  the  flats  from  the  post  of 
[Number  Six,  until  within  a  hundred  yards  of  the 
store,  when,  attracted  possibly  by  the  bleary  lights  still 
remaining  in  the  barroom,  he  had  veered  that  way  until 
his  footprints  were  merged  with  dozens  of  others  in 
the  path.  Presently  they  were  found  again,  passing 
between  the  store  and  the  shack,  around  in  rear  of  the 
low  log  building,  where  at  that  time,  presumably, 
Craney,  Watts  and  Case  were  asleep  in  their  respec 
tive  rooms.  It  seemed  as  though  he  had  paused  and 
moved  about  a  little  in  rear  of  the  shack  as  though  in 
search  of  some  one,  and  then  had  gone  straight  out 
beyond,  heading  for  the  nearest  clump  of  willows  south 
of  the  ford,  and  there  it  was  found  that  the  moccasin 
print  overlaid  that  of  the  San  Francisco  boot  and  fol 
lowed  it  up  stream  to  where  the  torn  and  trampled 
sands,  close  to  the  brink,  told  of  furious  struggle.  More 
over,  this  one  moccasin  print  was  wet  and  came  over  the 
stones  and  up  the  bank  just  about  where  Willett  had 
reached  it,  and  paused  a  moment  or  two  before  turning 
away.  At  this  point  the  stream  babbled  over  rocky 
shallows,  and  it  was  possible  to  cross  by  springing  from 
rock  to  rock  without  wetting  a  sole,  but  whoever  had 
crossed  here  had  been  hurried  and  incautious.  One 
foot  had  missed,  slipped  or  trailed,  and  its  covering  was 
soaking  wet  as  it  followed  on  up  the  bank.  It  was  still 


236     TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

wet  enough  to  leave,  as  the  lantern  determined,  a  per 
ceptible  trace  on  the  broad  stepping-stones  just  below 
the  placid  pool  at  the  ford,  where  the  shores  were  low 
and  sandy  again — so  wet,  in  fact,  that  the  stain  toward 
the  opposite  bank  and  on  the  farthermost  stone  became 
a  splash  so  dark  that  the  foremost  sergeant,  swinging 
his  lantern  aloft,  sung  out  to  his  follower,  "  Watch  out ! 
It's  blood !  "  and  blood  it  proved  to  be — there  and  there 
after,  down  the  opposite  bank. 

Yet  not  a  drop  was  seen  on  the  sands  where  Willett 
fell.  Then  his  assailants  had  not  escaped  unscathed. 
Unarmed  as  he  was,  the  officer  had  made  a  desperate 
fight  for  life. 

"  Now's  the  time  to  nab  him !  "  said  Turner,  as  he 
carried  the  report  to  Archer.  "  'Tonio  has  managed  to 
elude  Malloy's  party,  probably  by  leading  them  off  on  a 
false  scent,  but  now  we  have  blood  to  follow.  Let  me 
send  out  a  platoon,  mounted,  and  we  may  nail  the  gang 
before  sunrise." 

It  was  then  short  of  two  o'clock,  and  while  busy  trail 
ers  followed  on  with  their  lanterns  down  the  eastward 
bank,  and  were  presently  seen  flitting  like  fireflies  far 
south  among  the  willows,  Turner  himself,  with  a  score 
of  his  men,  hastened  back  to  quarters.  There  was  sad 
dling  in  hot  haste,  yet  with  the  precision  of  long  prac 
tice.  By  half  past  two  all  sight  or  sound  of  the  trailers 
and  the  pursuing  horsemen  was  lost  in  the  distance, 
and  a  corporal,  trotting  back  from  the  Sanchez  place, 
reported  that  Munoz  and  some  of  his  fellows  had  joined 
in  the  search,  and  already  with  important  result.  Cap- 


TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS     237 

tain  Turner  sent  him  back  with  his  compliments  to  the 
commanding  officer. 

In  the  presence  of  Bonner,  Bucketts  and  Strong,  the 
general  took  the  package,  something  heavy,  bundled  in 
the  red  silk  handkerchief  Turner  had  torn  from  his 
own  brawny  throat.  A  scrap  of  paper  went  fluttering 
to  the  ground,  which  the  adjutant  quickly  recovered  and 
handed  to  his  chief,  who  read  aloud  in  the  dim  candle 
light  the  words :  "  It  might  be  well  to  keep  this  from 
Harris,  at  least  to-night." 

Looking  a  trifle  dazed,  Archer  unrolled  the  silken 
folds,  and  laid  on  the  office  table  the  handsome,  silver- 
mounted  Colt  revolver  of  the  old  calibre  44  model  Wil- 
lett  had  lost  that  Sunday  night  of  his  perilous  adven 
ture  up  the  valley.  There  it  was,  inscription  and  all, 
every  visible  chamber  still  loaded,  its  murderous  leaden 
bullet  showing  in  the  candle  light.  Archer  slowly  drew 
back  the  hammer.  The  cylinder  slowly  revolved.  The 
barrel-chamber  swung  as  slowly  into  view,  black,  powder- 
stained,  and — empty.  One  shot,  then,  had  been  fired 
and  very  recently.  Who  could  have  had  it  all  this  time 
but  'Tonio  ?  Who  else  could  have  fired  it  2 


CHAPTER   XXII. 

TUENEE  and  his  men  were  gone  all  night,  all  the  next 
day,  and  much  of  the  night  that  followed.  Then  they 
began  drifting  back  in  squads  of  three  or  four.  By 
noon  the  second  day  the  captain  himself,  with  the  main 
body,  returned,  dispirited,  mystified.  They  had  lost 
the  trail  near  the  Picacho,  found  it  again,  lost  it,  found 
it,  scoured  the  foothills  and  scouted  the  east  face  of  the 
Mazatzal,  and  came  back  empty-handed.  Willett's  pis 
tol  was  the  only  thing  recovered,  even  with  such  aid 
as  could  be  rendered  by  some  of  the  Sanchez  party, 
Munoz  and  Jose  being  most  energetic  in  their  aid— 
"  'Patchie  "  Sanchez  being,  of  course,  nowhere  visible. 
'Patchie  had  affairs  of  his  own  to  answer  for  and  explain 
against  the  homeward  coming  of  the  Big  Chief  Crook, 
and  was  shy  of  Saxon  society  in  consequence. 

And  Turner  was  plainly  nettled  and  chagrined.  He 
and  his  troop  were  about  as  expert  trailers  as  could 
be  found  in  our  cavalry,  which,  in  the  old  Arizona  days, 
meant  not  a  little.  Turned  believed  that  'Tonio  had 
dared  to  venture  close  to  the  sentry  line,  had  lured  his 
enemy  to  the  fords,  and  there,  aided  by  one  or  two  of 
his  band,  had  done  him  near  to  death,  then  fled  for  the 
fastnesses  of  the  mountains.  Turner  believed  that 
'Tonio,  or  one  of  his  people,  was  wounded  and  could 
be  overtaken.  The  trail  was  easy  as  much  as  a  mile 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS     239 

down  stream,  and  then  became  difficult.  Turner  had 
accepted  the  proffered  aid  of  Munoz  and  certain  of  their 
set.  They  were  all  up,  it  seems,  by  the  time  he  reached 
the  ranch,  having  been  routed  out  earlier  by  the  first 
explorers  from  the  post,  Sergeant  Connelly  and  party, 
who  stated  that  they  found  the  "  hull  outfit  asleep,"  this 
in  spite  of  the  fact  that  a  game  seemed  to  have  been 
going  on  earlier  in  the  night,  for  the  paraphernalia 
were  in  evidence,  also  a  moderate  supply  of  liquid 
mescal. 

Now  mescal  in  those  days  was  not  distilled  north  of 
the  Gila — was  brought  by  devious  route,  when  brought 
at  all,  from  Mexico,  and  "  Greaser  "  packers,  who  were 
models  of  temperance  when  only  Gringo  whiskey  or 
German  beer  could  be  had,  would  sometimes  stampede 
at  the  mere  whisper  of  mescal.  Yet  here  was  mescal, 
and  here  were  some,  at  least,  of  the  Sanchez  "  outfit," 
sober  and  fit  for  business.  Then  it  must  be  that  the 
three  who  lay  stupefied,  had  had  money  to  invest  at 
monte,  and  had  been  plied  with  mescal  until  both  cash 
and  consciousness  had  left  them,  and  all  this  would 
account  for  the  sudden  hegira  from  the  store  the  even 
ing  preceding  the  shooting. 

But  in  spite  of  their  vehement  assertions  that  'Tonio 
had  been  signalling  that  very  day — that  they  could 
point  to  the  tracks  of  himself  and  his  fellows  in  several 
places  along  the  stream — these  energetic  and  swarthy 
sons  of  the  Incas  could  by  no  means  find  'Tonio,  or 
one  of  his  tribe,  when  given  the  chance  to  lead  and 
the  backing  of  armed  troopers.  'Tonio,  well  or 
wounded,  was  far  too  wary  for  them  and,  after  hours 


240     TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

of  brag  and  bluster,  not  a  vestige  of  him  did  they  dis 
cover  beyond  a  few  scattered  footprints  and  that  one 
revolver,  concerning  which,  it  seeins,  Munoz  told  sen 
sational  tales.  He  declared  he  had  found  it  glinting 
in  the  moonlight  just  at  the  foot  and  to  the  right 
of  the  trail  leading  from  the  low  ground  to  the  summit 
of  Squadron  Peak.  His  story,  indeed,  was  so  positive 
and  plausible  that  valuable  time  had  been  lost  while 
some  of  Turner's  most  active  troopers  scaled  the  height 
in  search  of  the  fugitives  whom  Munoz  thought  more 
than  likely  must  be  there,  and  Jose  had  agreed  with 
him.  Once  well  up  among  the  rocks  of  the  Mazatzal, 
after  sunrise,  these  valued  allies  became  bewildered  and 
gave  out,  were  handed  a  canteen  and  ration  of  crackers 
apiece  and  left  to  limp  back  to  the  shack,  while  Turner 
pushed  on.  They  were  at  the  store,  recuperating,  when 
his  people  reappeared  at  Almy,  and  each  had  derisive 
and  uncomplimentary  things  to  say  of  the  other.  More 
over,  there  was  internal  dissension  among  the  Mexicans 
themselves.  Dago's  disgust  with  Munoz  seemed  re 
kindled,  while  the  sore-headed  trio,  done  out  of  their 
money  by  aid  of  mescal,  were  slinking  about  the  shack, 
looking  unutterable  things.  When  rogues  fall  out  hon 
est  men  profit,  if  they  are  wise  and  wakeful,  and  now, 
at  a  time  when  something  of  advantage  might  be 
learned,  the  interest  of  the  garrison  seemed  centred 
about  the  general's  quarters,  whither  Harold  Willett  had 
been  borne,  still  senseless  and  in  desperate  case.  Bent- 
ley  could  not  say  that  he  would  live,  yet  had  been  heard 
to  say  he  believed  the  bullet  not  yet  cast  that  could  kill 
him. 


TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS     241 

<  There  had  been  a  difference  between  Archer  and  his 
surgeon.  The  shack  was  no  place  for  a  patient  in  such 
a  plight.  It  was  on  low  ground,  hot  and  stuffy  in  spite 
of  high  ceilings.  Bentley  wished  him  borne  on  elastic 
litter  to  hospital.  Archer  said  bear  him  to  his  quarters, 
Mrs.  Archer  would  have  it,  and  it  was  so  ordered  and 
done.  Bentley  wished  to  find  that  bullet,  the  blunt,  old- 
fashioned,  soft  lead  plug,  and  find  it  he  had,  lying 
fortunately  close  under  the  skin,  after  traversing  sev 
eral  inches  of  Willett's  anatomy  without  piercing  a 
vital  organ.  It  was  cut  out  with  little  time  or  trouble, 
and  set  aside,  sealed  for  future  reference.  Fever,  of 
course,  set  in,  and  where,  asked  Archer,  could  more  de 
voted  nurse  or  nurses  be  found,  and,  in  the  absence  of 
the  patient's  own  mother,  what  woman  had  better  right  ? 

It  wasn't  so  much  that,  said  poor  Bentley,  as  that 
they  might  overdo  it — wear  themselves  out,  and  the 
patient,  too.  Willett  was  babbling  in  feverish  delirium 
when  his  litter  was  borne  into  the  general's  dark  hall 
way,  and  the  patient  thence  to  the  white  cot  prepared 
for  him,  where  Mrs.  Archer  and  Mrs.  Stannard  at 
first  were  installed  as  nurses.  Bentley  shook  his  head 
over  the  arrangement,  and  later  he  spoke  of  it  to  Har 
ris  who  sat  thoughtful,  troubled  and  ill  at  ease. 

Bentley  had  told  him  of  the  discovery  of  the  re 
volver  and  the  universal  connection  of  'Tonio  with  the 
attempted  murder,  and  Harris  bowed  his  head  wearily 
upon  his  hands :  "  I  will  not  believe  it,"  was  all  he 
said. 

A  sergeant  and  six  men  had  gone  with  despatches 
and  orders  to  find  the  field  column  along  the  Black 


242     TONIO,  SON   OF  THE  SIERRAS 

Mesa.  A  runner  had  been  sent  to  McDowell  with  the 
news,  and  another  to  Canip  Sandy,  where  was  Colonel 
Pelham,  the  district  commander,  giving  details  of  the 
attempted  assassination  of  the  young  staff  officer,  and 
warning  all  to  arrest  'Tonio  on  sight.  The  affair  was 
the  one  topic  of  talk  in  every  barrack  room,  mess,  and 
gathering  at  the  post,  and  the  subject  of  incessant  com 
ment  and  speculation  at  the  store.  That  'Tonio  was 
the  culprit  no  man  was  heard  to  express  the  faintest 
doubt.  There  were  some  who  went  so  far  as  to  say 
that  any  man,  officer,  soldier  or  civilian,  who  dared  to 
strike  an  Indian  of  'Tonio's  lineage  had  nothing  less 
to  expect.  The  one  question  was,  how  had  'Tonio  suc 
ceeded  in  luring  his  victim,  unarmed,  to  the  spot,  and 
why  had  he  left  his  vengeance  unfinished?  The  one 
man  along  officers'  row  to  express  dissent  from  public 
opinion  was  Lieutenant  Harris;  the  one  man  at  the 
store  to  sit  in  unresponsive  silence  was  Mr.  Case — the 
bookkeeper. 

Busy  with  his  books,  making  up  for  the  lost  time, 
he  said,  sitting  long  hours  at  his  desk,  within  earshot 
of  almost  everything,  and  hearing  every  theory  ex 
pressed,  he  never  so  much  as  opened  his  lips  upon  the 
subject  further  than  to  say  that,  from  all  accounts,  the 
lieutenant  brought  it  on  himself,  and  should  never  have 
ventured  out  alone,  much  less  unarmed. 

"  You  didn't  like  him  any  too  well  yourself,"  bluntly 
hazarded  Bonner,  two  days  after  the  tragedy,  and,  some 
how,  a  rumor  of  a  row  between  them  at  the  doctor's 
Quarters  was  again  iih>circulation. 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS     248 

'"I  didn't/'  said  Case,  inaperturbably.  "But  that 
score  is  settled." 

In  the  course  of  the  prompt  investigation  made  by 
Archer  during  the  daylight  hours  that  followed  the 
affray,  Bentley  had  deemed  it  a  duty  to  tell  the  com 
mander  of  the  disturbance  between  Willett  and  Case, 
ascribing  it  to  Case's  vinous  excitement  after  some 
transaction  at  cards,  and  though  Archer  believed  the 
bookkeeper  totally  innocent  of  any  part  in  the  dis 
tressing  affair  that  followed,  both  he  and  Bentley  be 
lieved  it  due  to  everybody  that  Case's  possible  con 
nection  with  it  be  looked  into.  With  Craney  they 
visited  Case's  own  sanctum  in  the  store  building  not 
two  hours  after  the  sound  of  the  shot.  There  in  its 
accustomed  place  was  Case's  revolver,  every  chamber 
loaded  and  a  thin  coating  of  dust  on  the  grip.  Case's 
pistol  then  had  not  been  used.  Bentley  went  in  and 
examined  the  medicine  glass — this  was  toward  four 
o'clock — and  apparently  Case  must  have  taken,  said 
Bentley,  at  least  four  doses.  That  much  at  any  rate 
was  gone,  and  Case  was  sleeping  so  heavily  he  could 
hardly  be  roused — could  hardly  be  kept  awake,  begged 
thickly,  sluggishly,  to  be  allowed  to  "  sleep  it  off,"  as 
though  he  thought  he  must  have  been  drinking  again. 
Bentley  brought  out  one  of  Case's  boots,  and  the  track 
\t  fitted  could  be  found  all  over  the  flats,  about  the 
store,  shack  and  stream,  and  proved  nothing  at  all,  for 
everybody  knew  he  had  been  wandering  aimlessly  about 
for  days  and  nights  past.  The  window  shade  or  blanket 
had  been  disarranged  and  the  window  had  been  raised 
a  few  inches,  probably  for  air.  Everything  else  was 


244     TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

as  Craney  remembered  seeing  it  before  he  turned  in, 
and  the  inference  was  clear  to  every  mind  that  Case 
had  never  left  the  room  and  probably,  after  the  second 
dose,  never  left  his  bed. 

And  now,  from  Turner  down,  all  troopers  lately 
afield  in  search  of  'Tonio  were  again  at  Almy,  dis 
comfited,  disheartened.  "  Hunting  for  a  needle  in  a 
haystack  without  a  magnet,"  said  Turner,  "  is  no  more 
fruitless  than  scouting  for  Apaches  in  these  mountains 
without  Apache  scouts.  There  is  only  one  way,"  said 
he,  "  to  capture  'Tonio.  (  Set  a  thief  to  catch  a  thief ; 
set  an  Indian  to  catch  an  Indian.' '  But  the  few 
Indian  scouts  assigned  to  Almy  had  all  been  drafted 
away  with  Stannard  and  the  field  columns  in  the  Mo- 
gollon.  "  Even  had  they  been  available,"  said  Archer, 
who  listened  with  gloomy  brow,  "Harris  says  no  Apache- 
Mohave  would  betray  'Tonio,  and  no  Apache- Yuma 
dare  do  it,"  and  now,  as  never  before,  Archer  had  taken 
to  long  talks  with  Harris — who  would  gladly  have  had 
him  keep  away. 

"  Youngster,"  said  Bentley,  looking  his  patient 
keenly  over  the  second  day  after  what  had  come  to  be 
called  "  the  shooting,"  "  I'm  blessed  if  I'm  not  getting 
discouraged  on  your  account.  Here  I  have  had  you 
within  reaching  distance  of  '  fit  for  duty '  twice,  and 
both  times  you've  gone  back  on  me.  It's  my  beliei 
you'd  be  better  anywhere  else  than  here.  Almy's  too 
high  strung  for  your  temperament." 

"  Get  me  once  in  saddle  and  I  won't  come  back — OP 
go  back  on  you,"  said  Harris.  "  How's  Willett  ?" 

"  High    fever,    tossing    and    talking — talking    too 


TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS     245 

damned  much!  You're  sitting  up  much  of  the  time 
day  and  night  now.  You  need  air  and  change,  yet 
cannot  stand  jarring,  or  I'd  take  you  driving." 

"  Let  me  ride  a  mule." 

"  I  would,  if  I  were  sure  of  the  brute  behaving,  but 
you  never  can  tell  what  a  mule  will  do,  and  now — 
there's  no  telling  what  Willett  may  say." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?"  asked  Harris,  though  he  had 
some  reason  to  know. 

"  Just  this.  He's  muttering  about  matters  none  of 
us  now  want  to  hear,  and  want  none  of  the  Archers 
to  hear.  I've  got  Mrs.  Archer  out  for  a  time,  and  going 
to  get  Mrs.  Stannard  in  for  a  time,  but  there's  that 
poor  child  upstairs  going  all  to  pieces  for  fear  that 
beautiful  boy  may  die,  when — it's — it's — damn  it,  it's 
my  profound  conviction  it  would  be  the  best  thing  that 
could  happen!"  and  with  that  Bentley  turned  about 
and  strode  heavily  out  of  the  house. 

Just  at  sunset  that  winter's  evening,  when  all  the 
eastward  heights  were  a  blaze  of  gold,  and  the  far 
away  fringe  of  the  Mogollon  was  tipped  with  fire,  and 
the  rounded  poll  of  Squadron  Peak  shone  dazzling 
against  the  southward  sky,  the  lookout  on  the  scaffold 
ing  above  the  office  set  up  a  shout  that  brought  half  the 
garrison  to  its  feet. 

"  Horsemen  coming !     McDowell  road !" 

It  so  happened  that,  just  at  the  moment,  Jlrs.  Stan 
nard  was  walking  slowly  and  thoughtfully  from  the 
direction  of  the  hospital  to  her  lonely  roof.  She  had 
been  to  see  Mrs.  Bennett,  whose  general  condition  ap 
peared  a  little  more  f avorable^  but  who  lay;  long  hours 


246     TONIO,  SON   OF  THE   SIERRAS 

moaning  for  those  she  had  lost.  Turner,  coming  in 
from  the  corrals,  had  joined  Mrs.  Stannard  for  a  mo 
ment,  but  at  sound  of  the  alarm  raised  his  cap  and 
hurried  straightway  to  the  southward  bluff.  It  might 
even  mean  a  mail.  The  days  were  long  to  Mrs.  Stan 
nard  and  the  nights  were  weary,  for  one  anxiety  fol 
lowed  another,  and  now,  when  she  had  so  hoped  that 
all  might  be  gladness  and  sunshine  for  the  sweet,  un 
spoiled  army  girl,  to  whom  her  heart  had  so  fondly 
opened,  here  at  the  very  outset  of  her  dream  of  love 
and  delight,  the  grim  Destroyer  threatened,  and  even 
if  Fate  should  spare  the  life  of  Harold  Willett  was  it 
at  all  certain  that  that  life  would  be  what  Lilian  Archer 
deserved  ? 

All  in  three  minutes  that  afternoon,  while  bending 
over  the  unconscious  sufferer,  replacing  with  cool,  fresh 
linen  the  heated  bandages  on  his  brow,  she  had  heard 
words  that  she  fain  would  have  stifled — that  caused 
her  to  look  up,  startled,  into  Bentley's  sombre  face. 
She  was  thinking  of  the  sorrows  that  encompassed  her 
as  she  came  slowiy  home,  and  then,  as  the  cry  sounded 
from  the  lookout  station,  and  people  came  hurrying  to 
their  galleries,  and  Harris  slowly  felt  his  way  to  the 
open  door,  she  noted  how  pallid  and  sad  and  worn  was 
the  keen  young  face,  and,  forgetful  of  her  troubles, 
turned  to  say  a  word  of  cheer  to  him. 

"  It  used  to  mean  the  mail,"  said  she,  smiling 
brightly  for  his  benefit,  "  but  now  no  man  can  tell  what 
a  day  may  bring  forth/7  she  quoted.  "  The  letters  I 
most  want  would  be  coming  from  the  east.  What  would 
you  have  coming  from  the  west?" 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS     247 

"  Anything  to  bring  me  word  of  'Tonio,"  he  an 
swered,  adding,  though  not  for  her  ear,  "  and  take  me 
out  of  this."  She  stepped  to  the  gallery  and  frankly 
took  his  hand,  looking  kindly,  gravely  at  him  with  her 
sweet  blue  eyes. 

"  You  are  not  doing  well,  Mr.  Harris.  You  are  fret 
ting  too  much,  I  fear.  Tell  me.  You  believe  in  'Tonio 
thoroughly,  don't  you  ?  So  did  Captain  Stannard,  and 
so  should  I.  Do  you  believe  he  would  have  tried  to 
kill— Mr.  Willett?" 

"  Mrs.  Stannard,  I  know  he  would  not !" 

"  Then  I  wish  to  ask  you — something — something 
else.  Was  there — is  there — any  one  who  could — who 
Would — welly  who — had  any  reason  ?  " 

For  a  moment  he  stood  gazing  at  her,  paler  even  than 
before,  his  stern  young  face  full  of  strange  emotion. 

"  You  have  some  reason  for  asking  that,  Mrs.  Stan 
nard/7  he  said,  almost  below  his  breath.  "  You  have 
heard — tell  me;  has  he — has  Willett  told  you  any 
thing?" 

"  Nothing  that  connects  any  one  with  this  crime, 
and  yet,  while  I  cannot  tell  you,  and  the  doctor  may 
not,  I'll  promise  you  this,  Mr.  Harris.  If  ever  'Tonio 
is  accused  and  in  danger,  Mr.  Willett  has  something 
to  explain,  and  if  he  doesn't,  tfren  Dr.  Bentley  and  I 
may  have  to." 

With  that,  almost  abruptly,  as  though  dreading 
further  question,  Mrs.  Stannard  turned  away. 

Thirty  minutes  later,  dusty  and  weary,  five  troopers 
rode  slowly  through  the  southward  willows,  across  the 
sandy  flats  and  up  the  slope  to  the  adjutant's  office, 


248     TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

while  the  garrison,  neglecting  its  evening  meal,  swarmed 
out  to  greet  them.  Six  saddle-bags  were  crowded  with 
letters  and  papers — the  first  in  a  fortnight — and  the 
sergeant-major  and  his  clerks  went  busily  to  work  sort 
ing  out  the  mail,  while  Archer  and  his  officers  eagerly 
questioned  the  sergeant  in  charge.  They  were  men  of 
Captain  Freeman's  troop,  all  out  scouting  from  Mc 
Dowell.  They  camped  last  night  at  Silver  Springs, 
fifty  miles  south-west,  and  came  on  from  there  while 
the  captain  and  the  troop  turned  back  to  the  Yerde 
Valley.  No,  they  had  neither  seen  nor  heard  of  hostile 
Indians.  All  such  seemed  to  have  cleared  out,  for  the 
time  being  at  least.  Had  they  met  the  Almy  couriers 
on  their  way?  Not  one.  They  had  come  the  lower 
trail  by  way  of  Standard  Peak,  where  they  had  a  signal 
station  and  guard  now,  where  they  left  mail  and  rations 
for  them,  and  then  pushed  on  over  into  the  valley. 
The  Almy  couriers  took  the  short  cut.  No,  they  had 
seen  nobody  but  some  Mexicans,  and  hadn't  much  to  say 
to  them,  'cause  Sanchez — 'Patchie  Sanchez — had  been 
caught  and  was  in  the  guard-house  at  McDowell,  charged 
with  being  mixed  up  in  the  shooting  of  Sergeant 
Graves.  That,  at  least,  was  welcome  news.  Had  any 
thing  been  heard  of  General  Crook?  Yes,  something. 
Apache-Mohave  runners  came  in  to  the  bivouac  at  Sil 
ver  Springs,  with  despatches,  before  they  left,  and  that 
was  one  reason  the  captain  turned  back.  One  of  them 
was  wounded.  They'd  had  a  scrimmage  with  Tontos, 
they  said,  but  got  through  safely,  barring  just  this  one 
— 'Tonio  they  called  him — said  he  was  a  chief  of  the 
old  tribe. 


TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS     249 

"  "Tonio  there,  and  wounded !"  cried  Archer,  while 
Strong  and  Bonner  almost  sprang  to  their  feet,  in  sur 
prise. 

"  'Tonio,  sir,  certainly,"  said  the  sergeant.  "The 
doctor  had  him  dressing  his  wound  when  we  came  away. 
It  was  only  slight." 

"  Then,"  said  the  general,  "  by  this  time  they've  got 
my  despatches,  pud  ?Tonio7s  LL  doomed  Indian!" 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

THE  week  was  closing,  the  third  of  a  mournful  little 
series  of  seven-day  happenings,  the  like  of  which  Alrny 
had  never  before  experienced,  and  it  was  hoped  might 
never  know  again.  "  The  Moon  of  Many  Woes,"  as 
later  it  transpired  the  Indians  had  named  the  night 
goddess  of  November,  was  a  thing  of  the  past.  A  new 
queen  had  come,  hovering  like  silvery  filament  over  the 
black  barrier  of  the  Mazatzal  in  a  sky  cloudless  and 
glinting  with  myriad  points  of  fire.  The  nights  were 
cold  and  still,  the  days  soft  yet  brilliant  in  the  blaze 
of  an  unshrouded  sun.  An  almost  Sabbath-like  calm 
hovered  over  the  valley,  for  even  signal  smokes  had 
ceased  to  blur  the  horizon.  Not  a  hostile  Indian  had 
been  heard  of  since  the  coming  of  Freeman's  couriers. 
The  brawling  gang  of  "  greaser  "  gamblers  had  stolen 
away  from  the  "  ghost  ranch.77  Even  the  ghost  himself 
seemed  to  walk  no  more.  Something  had  happened  to 
call  the  firm  of  Munoz  y  Sanchez  elsewhere,  and  Dago, 
darkly  glowering  and  scowling  about  the  store,  where 
day  and  night  the  bookkeeper  sat  absorbed  in  accounts 
and  letters,  muttered  many  a  carramba,  and  had  even 
been  goaded  into  explosive  carrajo,  because  a  defrauded 
soldiery,  thirsting  for  revenge  or  restitution,  persisted 
in  connecting  him  with  these  skilled  but  quite  un 
principled  experts  of  the  alluring  game  of  monte, 


TONIO,  SON   OF  THE  SIERRAS     251 

whereas  Dago  hated  the  sight  of  Munoz,  of  whom  ha 
stood  in  dread. 

But  while  all  men  knew  the  "  greasers  "  had  gone, 
and  many  wondered  why,  and  none  at  Almy  could  tell, 
there  was  abundant  reason  to  believe  they  would  soon 
reappear.  Much  news  had  been  coming  in — news  from 
Crook's  column  along  the  Mogollon  and  the  eastward 
foothills — good  news,  too,  for  far  and  wide  the  Indians 
were  heeding  his  Gospel  of  Peace,  which,  tersely  trans 
lated,  read :  "  Come  in  and  be  fed.  Stay  out  and  be 
fought/'  and  by  scores  the  mountain  warriors,  with  their 
queerly  assorted  families,  were  flocking  to  the  San  Car 
los  and  Apache  reservations,  and  at  last  there  seemed 
promise  of  a  general  burial  of  the  hatchet.  At  last 
there  was  hope,  wrote  Stannard,  that  the  Bennett  boys 
would  be  restored.  Good  news,  too,  and  stacks  of  mail, 
had  come  from  Prescott  and  from  far  distant  homes, 
but  the  bit  of  news  that  appealed  to  all  but  a  chosen 
few  at  Camp  Almy,  as  by  all  means  the  most  im 
portant  and  welcome,  was  "  The  paymaster's  coming !" 
The  paymaster,  indeed,  after  weeks  of  detention,  was 
scheduled  to  be  at  the  post  by  nightfall  of  the  coming 
Tuesday  or  Wednesday,  and  Wednesday  would  usher  in 
the  old-time  saturnalia  of  the  south-western  frontier, 
the  joy  of  the  laundress,  soldier  and  sutler,  the  dread 
of  every  post  and  company  commander  from  Her 
Majesty's  dominion  to  the  Mexican  line — Pay  Day. 

And  stacks  of  letters  and  some  few  papers  and  maga 
zines — by  no  manner  of  means  all  that  were  hopefully 
started — had  come  to  the  Archers  and  Mrs.  Stannard 
and  the  exiles  of  official  Almy,  and  stacks  of  letters 


252     TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS 

were  there  for  the  slowly  bettering  young  soldier  lying 
helpless  under  the  commander's  roof,  faithfully  tended 
and  devotedly  nursed,  the  object  of  the  fondest  hope 
and  love  and  prayer — Lieutenant  Harold  Willett,  on 
detached  service  from  "  the  Lost  and  Strayed/7  as  aide- 
de-camp  to  the  commanding  general,  Department  of 
Arizona,  who  never  yet  since  the  day  he  left  Vancouver 
Barracks  had  set  eyes  on  him.     Most  of  these  letters, 
tied  in  tape,  stood  piled  like  bricks  upon  the  mantel 
shelf  in  the  darkened  quarters.     Some  few  of  them,  in 
feminine  superscription  and  bearing  the  Portland  post 
mark,  Dr.  Bentley  had  seen  fit  to  segregate  and  set 
aside.     They  had  been  placed  for  safe  keeping  in  the 
hands  of  Mrs.  Stannard,  of  whom,  said  Bentley,  "  there 
are  not  ten  women  of  her  sense  in  the  whole  service/7 
which,    said   Lieutenant   Blake,    of   Camp   McDowell, 
when  told  of  the  fact,  "  is  a  most  egregious  exaggera 
tion,"  and  no  woman  there  knew  just  what  he  meant. 
Blake  at  the  moment  was  riding  boot  to  boot  with  his 
captain,  Freeman,  for  between  the  two  there  dwelt  an 
attachment  and  understanding  rarely  seen  between  cap 
tain    and    subaltern,    but    Freeman    guffawed    at    his 
junior's  whimsical  remark,  and  told  it,  just  to  try  the 
effect  on  three  of  the  four  heroines  then  quartered  at 
the  camp.     ~No  one  of  their  number  was  there  who  did 
not  envy  Mrs.  Stannard  her  place  in  public  estimation, 
but  no  one  of  them,  could  they  have  known,  would  have 
envied  her  the  plight  in  which  she  found  herself— 
joint  custodian,  with  Bentley,  of  Hal  Willett's  uncon 
scious  confidences — compelled  to  see  a  young  girl's  rap 
turous  love  lavished  upon  a  man  so  saturated  with  the 


TONIO,  SON   OF   THE  SIERRAS     253 

incense  of  feminine  idolatry  as  to  be  more  than  apt  to 
underrate  the  priceless  boon  of  a  pure  woman's  heart- 
whole  devotion. 

They  had  clipped  short,  and  shaved,  much  of  the 
hair  from  the  back  and  left  side  of  Harold's  handsome 
head,  where  fell  the  blows  that  had  stunned  him,  but 
as  those  severe  contusions  healed,  and  it  transpired  that 
the  skull  was  sound,  the  doctor's  main  anxiety  was 
transferred  to  the  gunshot  wound,  which  might  well  be 
serious  in  view  of  the  amount  of  anatomy  traversed,  yet 
even  that  was  healing,  healthfully,  steadily.  "  A  beau 
tiful  constitution  has  this  damned  young  Lovelace," 
said  Bentley  to  Bucketts,  in  whom  he  had  long  since 
found  a  kindred  spirit.  "  Just  look  at  that !"  and  with 
a  nod  over  his  pipe  stem,  he  indicated  the  bunch  of 
letters  forwarded  from  the  Columbia.  "  Why  don't 
you  "•  —began  Bucketts,  but  dropped  it — he  knew  it  was 
impossible.  He  knew,  moreover,  that  when  both  mother 
and  daughter  have  set  their  hearts  on  a  single  man, 
paterfamilias  is  powerless.  "  The  whole  family's  in 
fatuated,"  said  Bentley,  "  and  in  his  whole  handsome 
carcase  there  isn't  half  the  man  in  Willett  that  there 
is  in  that  dried  up  little  chap  yonder." 

"  The  dried  up  little  chap  yonder,"  dismounting 
slowly  and  carefully  from  one  of  Turner's  staidest  troop 
horses,  was  the  unappreciated  Harris,  returning  from 
one  of  the  first  tentatives  in  saddle.  Days  before  this, 
had  he  been  permitted,  Harris  would  have  been  up  and 
away,  he  cared  little  whither.  He  wished  to  shake  the 
dust  of  Almy  from  his  deerskins,  get  back  to  the  moun 
tains  and  the  warpath,  get  over  the  Mazatzal  to  Me- 


254     TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

Dowell  and  'Tonio — 'Tonio,  his  faithful  friend  and 
fellow-scout,  now  languishing  presumably  behind  prison 
bars,  awaiting  the  orders  of  the  Chief  of  Chieftains 
in  his  case,  for  all  pleadings  were  vain.  The  last  bar 
rier  to  belief  in  his  guilt  had  gone  with  the  recovery 
of  the  revolver  and  the  exposure  of  the  cock-and-bull 
story,  said  Archer,  by  which  he  had  humbugged  Free 
man  and  Blake  into  believing  he  had  really  been  slashed 
in  hand-to-hand  fight  with  Tonto  Apaches.  The  first 
name  spoken  by  Willett,  after  the  fever  had  left  him, 
and  speedily  he  began  to  recover  sense,  was  that  of 
'Tonio — 'Tonio  who  had  shot  him. 

It  had  affected  Harris  to  the  point,  almost,  of  re 
lapse.  He  still  fought  vehemently  against  the  story, 
declaring  'Tonio  too  high-minded,  in  spite  of  Indian 
blood  and  tradition,  for  a  dirty  bit  of  assassination. 
The  brutal  and  bungling  way  in  which  the  thing  was 
done,  said  he,  was  enough  to  prove  that  'Tonio  had  no 
hand  in  it.  Thus  could  he  talk  to  Bentley,  at  least,  and 
even  to  Bucketts,  who  would  listen,  though  he  would 
not  lie,  and  say  he  thought  Harris  right. 

None  the  less  there  had  been  amaze  at  McDowell 
when  Archer's  demand  was  received.  ?Tonio  had  been 
taken  to  hospital  on  his  arrival,  kindly,  skilfully  cared 
for  by  the  young  post  surgeon,  while  the  couriers  had 
been  sent  on  to  Prescott.  'Tonio's  wound  was  a  knife 
slash  in  the  left  arm,  and  another  in  the  side.  He  had 
lost  much  bloocj  and  had  little  left  to  build  up  with. 
He  was  too  weak  to  attempt  escape,  wrote  Major  Brown, 
the  post  commander,  even  if  he  knew  he  was  under 
arrest,  which  he  did  not.  "  If  I  have  to  confine  him 


TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS     255 

it  shall  not  be  with  such  cattle  as  that  half  cad,  half 
coyote,  Sanchez/7  and  Harris,  being  very  improperly 
told  of  this  missive,  could  almost  have  walked  the 
weary  miles  to  McDowell  to  fall  upon  the  major's  neck 
and  bless  him.  "  The  very  fact  that  'Tonio  was  cut 
and  slashed  conflicts  with  every  theory  in  the  case/' 
said  he.  "  Who  would  have  cut  and  slashed  him  but 
Willett,  if  'Tonio  attacked  him,  and  Willett  had  no 
knife." 

And  still  Camp  Almy  clung  to  the  belief  that  'Tonio 
was  Harold  Willett's  assailant  and  would-be  murderer. 
Even  Bonner,  a  conservative,  had  this  to  say :  "  Wil 
lett  admits  he  struck  'Tonio.  What  Indian  ever  for 
gave  that  affront?  He  hates  Willett  as  he  loves  Har 
ris,  and  such  an  Indian  love  is  almost  as  strong  as  his 
hate.  We  have  some  reason  to  think  Willett  no  friend 
of  Harris.  'Tonio  went  further  and  thought  him  an 
enemy.  Couple  that  with  his  own  grievance  and  there's 
more  than  sufficient  motive  for  his  crime." 

The  topic  was  too  one-sided  to  be  mildly  interesting. 
Moreover,  the  paymaster  was  coming,  which  over 
shadowed  all  minor  considerations,  and  Turner  was  to 
take  twenty  men  and  meet  him  midway  over  to  Mc 
Dowell,  and  could  have  taken  fifty  had  volunteers  been 
called  for,  and  the  garrison  to  a  man  would  have  offered 
to  sally  forth,  "  with  mattock  and  with  spade  "  to  patch 
up  the  crazy  road  that  twisted  through  Picacho  Pass — 
anything  to  get  the  man  and  his  money  to  Camp  Almy, 
for  "  devil  a  cent  of  four  months'  pay  had  the  garrison, 
and  more  than  double  that/'  said  Sergeant  Malloy, 


256      TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

"  is  owin'  me  in  I.O.U's  that  they  wouldn't  take  for 
a  treat  at  the  store." 

The  night  before  Turner's  fellows  were  to  start,  Mr. 
Harris  coming  with  the  doctor  slowly  homeward  from 
the  mess  room  and  listening  again,  disgustedly,  to 
arguments  against  his  attempting  to  ride  back  with  the 
paymaster  to  see  'Tonio  at  McDowell,  the  two  came 
suddenly  upon  Archer,  just  stepping  forth  into  the 
pallid  moonlight.  The  general  pulled  up  short  at  sight 
of  them,  and  Harris  silently  raised  his  cap,  the  old- 
time  salutation  to  the  post  commander. 

"  I  was  just  about  sending  for  you,  Bentley,"  began 
the  chief,  as  courteously  he  returned  the  salutation. 
"  Bella  thinks  Willett's  a  bit  nighty  again,  just  now. 
Could  you  go  in  a  moment  ?  Come  and  take  a  chair, 
Harris/7  he  added,  as  the  doctor  disappeared  from  the 
hallway.  "  We  haven't  seen  you  in  a  coon's  age. 
What's  this  I  hear  about  your  wanting  to  go  up  to 
McDowell  ?  Bentley  says  you're  not  yet  strong 
enough." 

"  It's  to  see  'Tonio,  sir.  I'm  about  the  only  friend 
he  has  left,"  and  Harris  would  have  ignored  the  prof 
fered  chair,  but  the  general  again  indicated  his  wish, 
which  meant  compliance. 

"  He'll  need  all  he  can  get,  I  am  afraid,  my  boy," 
and  the  answer  was  kind,  even  conciliatory.  How  was 
he  ever  going  to  admit  to  this  uncompromising  young 
campaigner  that  he  had  done  him  mighty  wrong  in  his 
official  despatch  ?  Some  time  the  boy  must  know  it. 
Better  know  it  through  him,  when  it  could  be  explained, 
perhaps  condoned.  They  had  exhausted  the  'Tonio 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS     257 

subject,  so  far  as  was  possible  between  commander  and 
subaltern.  They  had  never  yet  talked  it  as  man  to 
man.  When  they  did  it  would  be  on  Archer's  initi 
ation,  not  that  of  Harris.  The  more  the  old  soldier 
studied  the  young  man  the  better  he  liked  him.  The 
less  they  discussed  'Tonio,  the  better  Harris  liked 
Archer.  It  was  useless  saying  more.  Harris  silently 
took  the  chair  at  his  senior's  side  and  Archer  con 
tinued  : 

"If  it  would  contribute  to  your  strength  as  much  as 
your  peace  of  mind,  I'd  send  you  over  in  the  forbidden 
ambulance,  my  boy  " — how  the  voice  trembled  at  the 
word  that  so  often,  so  constantly  in  bygone  days,  was 
on  his  lips  ! — "  but  Bentley  says'  not  yet ' — not  even  for 
a  week,  so  what  can  an  old  fellow  do  ?  " 

"  You  are  all  that  is  kind — to  me,  general,"  was  the 
grave  answer,  "  and  I  hope  to  persuade  Bentley  before 
the  paymaster  goes  back.  If  I  do " 

"  If  you  do — that  settles  it—  What  is  it,  dear  ?  " 
he  asked,  half  rising  from  his  chair.  Harris  was  al 
ready  on  his  feet.  Lilian,  all  in  white,  save  the  belt 
at  her  slim  waist,  stood  at  the  doorway  and  had  spoken. 

"  Dr.  Bentley  asks  that  you  come  to  him  a  moment, 
father.  He  is  with — Mr.  Willett."  She  saw  who 
stood  there  by  his  side,  and  it  was  not  so  easy  to  say 
"  Harold."  Harris,  bowing,  would  have  backed  from 
the  veranda,  but  Archer  interposed.  "  No,  stay  here 
awhile,  lad ;  I — I  want  to  talk  with  you.  I'll  be  back 
in  a  moment." 

Very  possibly  he  thought  he  could  be.  But  the  mo 
ment  lengthened.  Lilian  had  come  slowly  forth. 


258     TONIO,  SON   OF  THE  SIERRAS 

Something  had  told  her  she  was  neither  needed  nor 
desired  in  the  room  just  then.  Even  her  mother,  si 
lently,  had  left  the  bedside  and  was  hovering  about  the 
doorway.  And  now  here  was  Harris.  Lilian  had  ma 
tured  a  little,  and  paled  not  a  little,  in  these  few  days 
of  vigil  and  anxiety,  but  she  was  inexpressibly  lovely 
as  she  stood  and  looked  wistfully  into  his  face.  '  You 
know  he  isn't  quite  so  well  to-day  2  "  she  said.  "  There's 
fever  again.  He  craves  ice  so.  What  wouldn't  I — 
W€ — give  for  some?  What  do  you  think  he  called 
me  " — she  gave  a  queer  little  nervous  laugh — "  just 
a  moment  ago  as  I  was  fanning  him  ?  " 

Harris  did  not  answer.  He  would  have  hazarded 
"  Sanctissima,"  possibly,  as  he  stood  there  looking  in 
tently  into  her  clear,  soft  eyes,  with  all  their  depth 
of  tenderness  and  trust.  Good  God !  Why  should  any 
man  have  to  have  a  past,  when  love  such  as  this  was 
possible  ?  "  He  called  me  Stella.  Mother  said  he  was 
dreaming  of  the  pet  dog  he  left  at  Vancouver,  but  his 
eyes  were  wide  open — looking  right  up  at  me." 

Harris  knew  well  who  Stella  was.  The  name  was 
appended  to  many  a  letter  and  "  wire  "  that  came  to 
him  during  First  Class  camp,  and  later,  begging  him 
to  tell  her  of  Mr.  Willett,  and  now  here  was  this  fair 
girl  virtually  bidding  him  say  he  had  known  a  Stella. 
He  ground  his  teeth  as  he  turned  aside  to  set  a  chair 
for  her.  There  had  been  others  since  Stella,  unless  all 
indications  lied.  What  might  she  not  say  if  she  knew 
them  all  ? 

"I  called  my   mother   Topsy   and   Aunt   Ophelia, 


TONIO,  SON   OF  THE  SIERRAS     259 

both,  when  I  was  getting  over  typhoid  and  Uncle  Tom's 
Cabin/7  said  he. 

"  Then  Stella  was  only — "  and  the  blue  eyes  were 
searching  his. 

"  Only  a — you  know  I  was  nearly  f  found '  in 
,iFrench.  What  would  you  call  the  parallel  to  a  nom 
de  plume?  Nom  de  chien?  Nom  de — something 
visionary,  at  all  events.  He'll  be  sitting  up  day  after 
to-morrow  and  telling  you — all  about  it." 

She  stood  before  him,  with  those  pretty,  slender, 
white  hands  loosely  clasped,  the  clear,  truthful,  beau 
tiful  eyes  looking  straight  into  his  sun-tanned,  yet  pal 
lid  face.  'No  man  in  his  time  at  the  Point  had  ever 
known  Harris  to  flinch  at  the  truth  or  dodge  an  issue. 
"  He  is  square  as  they  make  'em,"  was  the  verdict 
of  his  classmates,  and  square  he  had  been  through  his 
subaltern  days,  and  now  to  be  square  meant  the  dealing 
to  this  sweet  and  trusting  girl  a  blow  that,  while  it 
might  down  his  rival,  would  wreck  her  happiness.  He 
now  had  dodged  an  issue  at  last,  and  then  came  the 
further  trial: 

"  Mr.  Harris,  dogs  don't  write.  Harold's  talking 
about  Stella's  letters,  and  says  you  get  them." 

He  had  dodged.  He  might  as  well  flinch.  The 
truth  he  would  not  tell  her.  A  lie  he  could  not  tell 
her.  He  did,  perhaps,  the  best  he  could  for  himself 
and  the  worst,  perhaps,  for  her.  He  acted. 

"  Don't  believe  a  word  of  it,  Miss  Lilian.  He's 
mooning  yet." 

"  Then — there  wasn't  any  girl  ? — any  letters  3  " 

"  There's  only  one  girl  in  creation  he  cares  for." 


260      TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

"  But— Stella?"  she  persisted. 

"  Never  saw  his  Stella  in  all  mj  life.  What  he 
needs  is  ice,  and  I'm  going  to  see  he  gets  it." 

With  that  he  was  gone,  deaf  to  the  words  of  relief 
the  poor  child  would  have  spoken — trying  to  be  deaf 
to  the  fierce  upbraiding  of  conscience,  and  failing  as 
he  deserved,  miserably. 

An  hour  later  that  evening,  with  a  pack  mule,  blan 
kets,  old  newspapers  and  a  brace  of  cracker  boxes,  two 
half-tamed  Mohaves  were  heading  for  the  heights  to 
the  north-east,  where  water  would  freeze  in  the  can 
teens  these  December  nights,  and  the  rock  tanks  were 
nearly  solid  ice.  Two  hours  later  while  Harris,  ner 
vous,  irritable,  and  filled  with  nameless  self-reproach, 
was  pacing  the  narrow  veranda  at  the  doctor's  quarters, 
there  was  a  stir  at  the  southward  end  of  the  post,  a 
sound  of  hoofbeats  and  footfalls,  a  running  to  and  fro 
and  lighting  up  at  the  office.  An  orderly  came  on  the 
jump  and  banged  at  the  adjutant's  door,  and  Strong 
shuffled  forth  in  the  moonlight  and  joined  other  dark 
forms  over  at  head-quarters.  The  sentries  were  call 
ing  the  midnight  hour  without,  and  the  doctor  was 
snoring  placidly  within.  It  was  barely  ten  minutes 
before  Strong  came  back,  in  one  of  his  hurries,  and 
Harris  hailed  for  the  tidings. 

"  Oh,  you  II  be  glad,  I'm  betting !  "  was  the  answer, 
half-rueful,  half-relieved,  for  somehow  Strong  had 
"  taken  to  "  the  doctor's  guest — and  to  doubting  his 
own.  "  Those  galoots  at  McDowell  let  up  on  their 
watch,  and  'Tonio's  walked  off — i  gone  where  the  wood 
bine  twineth  ' — 'Patchie  Sanchez  with  him !" 


CHAPTEK    XXIV. 

THAT  meant  new  trouble — trouble  for  Major  Brown 
commanding  the  little  two-company  station — the  "  tup 
penny  post/'  his  subaltern,  Blake,  derisively  termed  it 
—trouble  for  Blake,  who  was  officer  of  the  day,  and 
was  held  on  tenterhooks  for  many  a  day  thereafter — • 
trouble  for  Sergeant  Collins,  who  was  directly  in  com 
mand  of  the  guard — "  Collins  ne  Oolahan,"  as  Free 
man  wrote  him  down,  it  having  been  discovered  that 
this  versatile  Celt  had  served  a  previous  enlistment  in 
the  "  Lost  and  Strayed,"  when  four  of  its  companies 
were  pioneering  shortly  after  the  war,  where  even  the 
paymaster  couldn't  find  them.  Such  of  them  as  could  be 
found  in  course  of  years  were  gathered  up  and  sent  to 
San  Francisco  for  further  exploration  in  other  desert 
lands,  but  Oolahan  and  four  of  his  fellows  of  Company 
"  A,"  not  having  returned  from  wagon  escort  duty, 
were  finally  dropped  as  dead  or  deserted  (those  were 
days  wherein  nobody  much  cared  which),  whereas  they 
were  merely  drunk  at  Cerbat.  Under  other  names,  as 
orthodox  as  the  originals,  they  were  now  doing  valor 
ous  and  valuable  service  in  other  commands,  Collins  in 
particular  proving  a  capital  fighter  and  trooper,  to  the 
end  that  the  best  interests  of  the  service  were  subserved 
by  keeping  a  keen  eye  on  his  present  and  a  "  Nelson 
blind  "  on  his  past.  Of  the  three  soldiers  thus  involved 


262     TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

at  McDowell,  Collins  was  the  one  who  took  it  most  to 
heart,  for  Collins  had  come  to  think  ill  of  'Tonio,  whom 
at  first  he  had  championed.  Collins  despised  'Patchie 
Sanchez,  whom  he  had  known  five  years,  and  described 
as  a  "  durrty  cross  betune  a  skunk  and  a  spitbox,"  a 
greaser  Indian  who  would  knife  his  best  friend.  As 
for  'Tonio,  whom  he  had  known  ever  since  he  came 
to  Arizona  in  '65,  and  once  held  to  be  "  the  wan  good 
Indian  in  it,"  'Tonio  had  made  him  believe  he  too  held 
Sanchez  in  contempt.  Yet,  to  all  appearance,  the  two, 
who  up  to  this  night  had  been  confined  entirely  apart, 
had  gone  together.  One  of  the  counts  in  the  unwritten 
indictments  against  McDowell  was  that  its  officers  and 
men  had  lionized  the  dangerous  Indian  they  were 
bidden  to  hold  under  careful  guard,  had  held  him  with 
out  bond  or  shackle  in  a  vacant  room  of  the  hospital, 
until  that  very  day,  when,  stung  by  an  inspector's  com 
ment,  Brown  ordered  him  at  last  into  confinement  with 
Sanchez,  who  was  shackled  to  a  post  in  the  prison  room. 
Yet  all  that  was  left  of  either  was  the  "  greaser's  " 
chains.  Could  there  have  been  collusion? 

It  meant  more  trouble  for  'Tonio.  Instead  of  facing 
investigation,  as  Harris  declared  he  would,  he  had  fled. 
It  even  meant  more  trouble  for  Harris,  who,  having 
stood  his  friend  through  thick  and  thin,  proclaimed  his 
innocence  in  spite  of  accumulation  of  evidence,  now 
found  himself  utterly  alone  in  his  views  and  all  Almy 
beginning  to  veer  over  to  Willett.  Willett,  now  able 
at  last  to  recognize  those  about  him,  was  sitting  up  a 
little  to  be  nursed  and  petted  and  read  to,  a  recovery  in 
which  the  ice,  for  which  Harris  had  sent  his  Indian 


TONIO,  SON   OF  THE   SIERRAS     263 

followers  forty  miles,  had  played  no  unimportant  part. 
Willett  was  now  the  object  of  devoted  care  and  unspeak 
able  interest,  for  all  Almy  hoped  to  hear  the  story  of 
the  assault  with  intent  to  kill.  But  Almy  was  doomed 
to  disappointment.  Beyond  the  expression  of  an  un 
alterable  conviction  that  he  had  been  shot  down  from 
ambush  by  'Tonio,  hammered  senseless,  and  left  for 
dead,  Willett  declared  he  knew  no  more  about  it  than 
they  did.  He  seemed,  in  fact,  to  know  as  little  of 
them  as  he  knew  of  Stella,  when  at  last  the  doctor  gave 
him,  without  a  word,  the  little  packet  held  in  trust  by 
Mrs.  Stannard.  "  He  is  muddle-headed  yet,"  said 
Bentley,  in  explanation.  "  He'll  know  more  after 
awhile,  which  is  more  than  we  may,"  was  the  mental 
addition,  as  he  looked  into  Mrs.  Stannard's  doubtful 
eyes. 

But  meanwhile  further  tidings  had  come  from  the 
San  Carlos  and  beyond.  "  Big  Chief  Jake  "  had  been 
doing  some  famous  rounding  up  among  the  late  recal 
citrants.  The  General-in-Chief  had  given  a  feast  to 
the  incoming  Indians,  had  shaken  hands  with  their 
leaders,  ordered  rations  for  the  families  until  the 
agency  could  again  take  them  under  its  wing,  had 
detailed-  escorts  to  conduct  them  by  easy  stages  to  the 
reservation  set  apart  for  them,  but,  as  punctilious  to 
the  keeping  of  one  part  of  a  promise  as  to  another,  he 
sent  forth  his  scouting  parties  to  look  up  those  Indians 
who  had  not  come  in,  with  strict  orders  to  stick  to  it 
until  the  fate  of  the  Bennett  boys  was  definitely  set 
tled,  and  the  scattered  renegades  were  captured  or  de 
stroyed.  And  this  was  why  Mrs.  Stannard  was  des- 


264     TONIO,   SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

tined  to  wait  still  awhile  longer  for  tlie  home-coming 
of  her  beloved  captain.  This  was  why,  within  the 
week  that  followed  their  mission  in  quest  of  ice,  three 
Indian  scouts  that  were  still  "  casuals  "  at  Almy,  set 
forth  eastward,  full  panoplied  for  the  field,  with  little 
Harris  at  their  head. 

"  Wouldn't  you  like  to  see  Harold  before  you  go  ?" 
Mrs.  Archer  had  asked  him  when  he  called  to  say  good- 
by.  Her  heart  had  warmed  to  him,  as  had  Lilian's, 
in  grateful  appreciation  of  that  gift  of  ice  ("  though  of 
course  Mr.  Harris  should  know  that  now;  under  the 
circumstances,  he  really — well,  it  wasn't  at  all  a  mat 
ter  to  be  spoken  about,  but  dear  Mrs.  Stannard  could 
see  for  herself  that — it  were  quite  as  well  that  Mr. 
Harris  got  back  to  his  duties").  Both  mother  and 
daughter,  knowing  well  what  it  must  have  cost  in  time 
and  labor,  had  thanked  Harris  very  prettily,  and  fully 
meant  all  they  said,  which  kept  them  from  saying  too 
much.  It  was  but  natural  that  his  classmates  should 
do  anything  for  Harold. 

"  Would  he  care  to  see  me  ?  "  asked  Harris,  very 
quietly. 

"  Well,  he  is  sleeping  just  now,  and  he  needs  that  so 
much.  Lilian  soothes  him  to  sleep  when  no  medicine 
can.  He  can't  bear  to  have  her  out  of  his  sight." 

"  Then  I  think  I  should  not  disturb  them,"  said 
Harris.  "  He'll  be  himself  again  before  we  are  a  week 
away,  and  you  can  say  good-by  for  me,  also  to  Miss 
Lilian,  will  you  not  ?  " 

It  was  thus  he  would  have  gone,  but,  as  he  turned 
away,  compassion  seized  the  mother's  gentle  heart,  still 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS     265 

bleeding — bleeding  for  her  own  beloved  boy.  After  all, 
how  could  any  young  fellow  help  loving  her  Lilian? 
How  could  Harris  help  it?  Why  should  she  wish  to 
seek  to  hold  him  aloof  ?  "  Come  back  one  minute/'  she 
cried,  half  choking,  then  disappeared  within. 
/  And  so  he  turned  again.  He  could  not  well  refuse, 
and  presently  She  came  and  smiled  upon  him  and  put 
her  long,  slim  hand,  cool  from  contact  with  iced  towel 
ling,  into  his  hot,  dry  palm,  and  slipped  the  fingers 
slowly  forth  again,  and  spoke  almost  in  whisper,  lest 
the  sleeper  might  hear  her  voice  and  know  she  had 
ventured  forth  and  was  conversing  with  some  other 
man — all  in  that  exaggerated  precaution  of  word  and 
manner  that,  whenever  so  much  in  love  with  one  man, 
a  girl  so  often  observes  toward  others  even  ever  so  little 
in  love  with  her. 

"  You  have  been  so  good  to — us,  Mr.  Harris,  and  I 
know  how — he  will  thank  you  when  he  is  able.  Till 
then  you  must  let  me.  Good-loj !  "  Poor  comfort  at 
best,  yet  what  one  of  us  would  not  have  sought  it  rather 
than  nothing?  And  then  she  was  gone  lest  he  should 
awake  and  remember — or  Harris  should  awake  and — 
and  forget.  She  was  but  a  child,  after  all,  and  her 
fond  and  beloved  mother  little  less  so. 

And  of  such  was  Harris's  leave  taking,  cool  as  his 
contribution  to  that  happy  rival's  comfort,  he  thought, 
as  he  rode  drearily  away  to  the  ford,  with  but  a  wave 
of  the  hand  in  response  to  the  shout  of  Craney  and 
Watts  at  the  shack,  while  "  Barkeep  "  and  a  few  hang 
ers-on  stood  gazing  from  under  the  canvas  shade  at 
the  store,  and  Case,  the  silent  bookkeeper,  bent  over 


266     TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

his  desk  by  the  east  window — the  desk  wherein  still 
reposed  that  big  calibre  44,  with  every  chamber  loaded 
and  the  handle  more  coated  with  dust. 

Half-way  to  the  ford  Harris's  broncho  stumbled  and 
kicked  up  a  muddy  splash  in  the  shallow  pool.  His 
rider  reined  him  up  sharply  and  spurred  on;  the  three 
pack  mules,  following  in  file  a  scrawny  Mexican  on 
the  bell  horse,  shied  clear  of  the  water  cloud  and 
emerged  with  dripping  bellies  from  a  deeper  pool  just 
to  the  left.  The  Indians,  skipping  dry-shod  over  the 
bowlders,  a  dozen  yards  below,  turned  their  heads  at 
sound  of  the  stumble,  and  their  keen  eyes  exchanged 
glances.  Presently  one  of  them  shed  his  moccasins 
and  waded  in  toward  the  mud  cloud  on  the  face  of 
the  rippling  waters,  and,  while  his  companions  stood 
at  the  bank,  began  searching  in  the  knee-deep  puddle. 
Presently  again  he  swooped,  thrust  down  a  bare,  brown 
arm  almost  to  the  shoulder,  and  drew  forth  a  dripping 
object  a  foot  long,  covered  with  rust  and  mud. 
"  Huh !  "  was  all  he  said,  as  he  splashed  back  to  shore, 
exhibiting  his  prize  to  his  fellows.  Then  together  the 
three  went  a  jog  trot  after  Harris  and  held  it  up  for 
his  inspection.  He  took  it  curiously — an  old-fashioned, 
war-time,  percussion-capped  JSTavy  Colt — the  pistol  of 
ficers  carried  through  the  four  years  of  battling  in 
preference  to  the  so-called  Army  Colt  issued  to  the 
cavalry.  "  Some  relic  of  the  old  volunteer  days  at 
Almy,"  said  Harris  to  himself,  and  bade  the  Indian 
keep  it.  Nor  did  he  think  again  of  that  pistol  until 
many  days  later. 

That  night  they  bivouacked  among  the  tanks  under 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS     267 

Diamond  Butte.  Next  day,  toward  sunset,  as  the  smoke 
from  the  little  cook  fire  went  sailing  aloft  from  the 
bank  of  a  mountain  stream  that  came  tumbling  from 
the  Black  Mesa,  another  little  column  of  smoke  an 
swered  from  among  the  pines  far  up  the  heights.  An 
Indian  touched  the  young  soldier's  sleeve  and  pointed. 
Another  moment  and  he  was  up,  blanket  in  hand  and 
signalling.  That  night  the  escaped  prisoner,  whom  all 
commanders  of  posts  or  detachments  were  ordered  to 
arrest  wherever  found,  stood  erect  in  the  firelight,  clasp 
ing  hands  with  his  young  leader — 'Tonio,  the  Apache- 
Mohave,  and  'Tonio  had  a  stirring  tale  to  tell. 

Barely  five  days  later  still,  Archer  and  his  wife  sat 
hand  in  hand  in  the  cool  veranda,  taking  the  air.  The 
sun  was  just  down  and  the  flag  had  just  fluttered  to 
its  rest.  From  the  open  casement  came  the  murmur 
of  happy  voices,  one  so  very  happy  it  thrilled  their 
hearts.  Across  the  barren  parade  the  men  were  just 
breaking  ranks  after  retreat  inspection,  and  the  officers 
were  coming  homeward,  unbelting  sword  or  sabre  as 
they  neared  their  doors,  in  the  impatient  fashion  of 
the  day.  Strong,  the  adjutant,  still  precise  and  buc 
kled,  stalked  up  to  his  commander's  steps,  halted,  sa 
luted,  and  said :  "  All  present,  sir,  and  couriers  com 
ing  up  the  valley." 

Archer  rose  to  his  feet  and  reached  for  his  binocular. 
Forgetful  of  supper,  many  men  began  to  gather  at  the 
edge  of  the  bluff  over  by  the  office.  A  brace  of  ser 
geants  had  clambered  to  the  lookout,  and  Mrs.  Stan- 
nard,  eager  ever  for  news  from  her  husband,  came 
hurrying  to  join  her  friends.  Twilight  faded  with  al- 


268     TONIO,  SON   OF  THE  SIERRAS 

most  tropical  suddenness,  but  not  before  the  coming 
riders  could  be  recognized  as  troopers,  and  Mrs.  Stan- 
nard's  heart  was  praying  they  might  be  her  Luce's 
men. 

"  If  you  had  your  wish/7  said  Archer,  as  he  lowered 
the  glass  and  turned  to  where  the  two  friends  stood, 
their  arms  entwining,  "  what  would  you  ask  for,  Mrs. 
Stannard  ?  " 

"  My  husband,  I  suppose,"  was  the  answer,  "  and 
yet — I've  been  sitting  hours  by  poor  Mrs.  Bennett  this 
day/7  and  the  blue  eyes  began  to  fill. 

"  Heaven  send  us  news  of  those  little  fellows  soon/7 
said  Archer  piously.  "  If  not,  I7m  afraid  her  heart 
will  break.  Bentley  says  the  faint  hope  is  all  that 
holds  her.  Listen  to  that ! 77  he  suddenly  cried.  "  Lis 
ten!77 

Far  down  beyond  the  store  somebody  had  set  up  a 
shout.  Then,  as  they  stood  with  beating  hearts  and 
straining  ears,  from  the  store  itself  went  up  another 
—three,  four  voices  in  unison — a  shout  that  set  every 
man  along  the  edge  of  the  mesa  to  swinging  his  hat. 
But  a  veteran  sergeant,  Bonner7s  level-headed  right 
bower,  sprang  among  them,  with  uplifted  hand  and 
voice.  "  Quiet,  men !  Don  yell !  Wait ! 77  Then 
he  came  hurrying  across  the  parade,  straight  to  his 
post  commander.  "  What  is  it,  sergeant  ? 77  was  the 
anxious  query,  and  at  the  very  moment  the  riders  came 
wearily  jogging  over  the  brow  of  the  hill. 

"  Couriers  from  General  Crook,  sir.  They  say  the 
boys  are  found — safe.77 

Bentley  was  there  almost  as  the  foremost  horseman 


TONIO,   SON   OF   THE  SIERRAS     269 

sprang  from  saddle.  "  Not  a  word  of  it  to  her — yet !  " 
said  he.  "  Wait  until  we  know  exactly.  Go  you,  ser 
geant,  and  tell  the  steward  on  no  account  to  let  any 
one  disturb  her."  And  by  this  time  Archer  had  torn 
open  the  letter  handed  him,  and  Doyle  had  come  run 
ning  out  with  a  lamp.  The  expressions  that  chased 
each  other  over  the  general's  features  as  he  hurriedly 
read  would  have  baffled  an  actor:  first  rejoicing,  then 
amaze,  then  perplexity,  if  not  trouble.  "Can  you  tell 
us,  dear  ? "  was  the  gentle  query  that  recalled  him. 

"  Read  it — aloud,"  he  said,  and  though  her  voice  was 
tremulous,  the  tone  was  clear  and  the  hush  breathless. 
Even  Lilian  and  her  lover  could  hear  every  word. 

CAMP  ON  TONTO  CREEK, 

December ,  5:30  A.M. 

DEAR  GENERAL: 

Almy  scores  again.  General  Crook  sends  his  best  congratulations. 
The  little  Bennetts  should  be  safely  with  you  to-night.  We  see  them 
as  far  as  El  Caporal.  The  general  takes  short  cut  for  McDowell  and 
thence  home.  Old  Stannard  never  slept  from  the  moment  he  got  the 
word  until  he  got  the  boys.  Harris  and  'Tonio  located  the  rancheria 
and  led  unerringly.  We  are  all  happy. 

Yours  in  haste,  BRIGHT. 

Even  in  her  womanly  joy  over  the  rescue,  there  was 
wifely  sympathy  and  instant  understanding  of  her 
husband's  swift-changing  mood.  The  children  were 
safe — that  meant  rejoicing  for  all.  Stannard  and  his 
troop  were  the  rescuers — that  meant  credit  and  triumph 
for  Archer's  post,  and  the  general  awarded  it.  But 
Harris  and  'Tonio  were  the  discoverers  and  leaders. 
'Tonio,  probably,  was  the  man  without  whose  aid  noth 
ing  could  have  been  accomplished.  'Tonio  was  the 


270     TONIO,  SON   OF  THE  SIERRAS 

hero,  therefore,  in  the  eyes  of  the  commanding  gen 
eral — 'Tonio,  the  man  whom  Archer  would  have  con 
demned  and  shot.  This  meant  perplexity,  if  not  worry, 
as  she  quickly  saw,  and  went  and  nestled  to  his  side. 
Did  ever  soldier  have  such  contrary  luck  as  did  hers? 

But  all  were  crowding  about  the  couriers  for  par 
ticulars.  "  Yes/'  said  the  sturdy  corporal,  who  was 
spokesman  for  the  two,  "  the  little  fellows  had  been 
brought  in  a  mule  litter  from  way  over  toward  Chev- 
lon's  Fork,  straight  to  Crook's  camp."  Captain  Stan- 
nard  with  most  of  his  people  would  scout  the  country, 
far  as  the  Chiquito  before  returning.  Lieutenant 
Harris  and  'Tonio  stayed  with  him,  and  the  general's 
escort  from  "  G  "  troop  brought  in  the  boys. 

And  by  ten  o'clock  another  rider  came  loping  in. 
The  party  with  the  litter  were  just  behind,  the  tiny 
occupants  worn  out  and  sound  asleep.  "  Take  them 
straight  to  the  hospital,"  said  Dr.  Bentley.  "Mrs. 
Archer,  Mrs.  Stannard,  will  you  come  with  me  ?  " 

All  Almy  sat  up  late  that  night.  Probably  not  a 
soldier  eye  was  closed  until  long  after  eleven,  and  half 
the  garrison  clustered  about  the  hospital,  treading  on 
tiptoe  and  speaking  in  whispers,  as  the  little  fellows 
were  tenderly  lifted  from  the  litter,  the  weary  mules 
were  led  away,  and,  in  the  arms  of  Mrs.  Archer  and 
Mrs.  Stannard,  the  sleeping  boys  were  borne,  without 
word  or  sound,  to  the  darkened  room  where,  in  the 
broad  white  bed  that  had  been  the  hospital  matron's, 
lay  in  the  slumber  of  exhaustion  their  unconscious 
mother.  Bentley  closed  the  door  behind  them,  noise 
lessly  as  possible.  The  steward  and  his  wife,  both  with 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS     271 

tear-brimming  eyes,  stood  by  to  aid.  Deft  hands  dis 
robed  the  sleeping  little  forms  (Mrs.  Archer  nearly 
sobbing  aloud  at  sight  of  their  thinned  and  wasted 
limbs),  and  invested  them  in  borrowed  "nighties" 
from  buxom  Mrs.  Kelly's  store.  Then,  cautiously, 
noiselessly,  the  light  coverlet  was  partly  raised,  the 
weary  little  curly  heads  were  pillowed  close  beside  the 
mother's,  and  then,  leaving  the  night  light  turned  low, 
stealthily  they  drew  away  and  waited.  "  She  never 
sleeps  more'n  an  hour  or  two  at  a  time,"  whispered  the 
steward.  "  She'll  be  sure  to  wake  before  long,"  and 
so  they  lingered  near  the  doorway,  and  Camp  Almy, 
much  of  it,  clustered  in  the  moonlight  without.  Ten, 
fifteen  minutes  passed,  and  still  there  was  no  sound 
from  the  darkened  room,  and  then,  over  at  the  guard 
house,  the  sentry  on  Number  One  started  the  call  of 
eleven  o'clock.  Number  Two,  at  the  storehouse,  took 
it  up  in  his  turn  and  trolled  off  his  "  All's  well,"  and 
then  it  was  Number  Three's  turn,  out  just  under  the 
edge  of  the  bench,  and  Three  muffled  his  voice  and 
strove  to  turn  it  into  a  lullaby  as  he  began,  and,  as  the 
first  words  of  the  soldier  watch  cry  came  floating  in 
through  the  partly  open  window,  Mrs.  Archer's  hand 
stole  forth  and  clasped  that  of  Mrs.  Stannard's,  for  the 
mother  had  begun  to  stir.  Then,  finger  on  lips,  in 
tremulous  excitement,  those  loving-hearted  friends  bent 
forward,  and  the  watchers,  five,  listened  and  gazed,  the 
women  quivering  with  sympathy  and  emotion,  for  Mrs. 
Bennett's  dark  head  was  slowly  lifting  from  the  pillow, 
and  then,  all  on  a  sudden  went  up  a  piercing  cry — in  a 
very  agony  of  joy — incredulous,  intolerable — "Danny! 


272     TONIO,  SON  OF  THE   SIERRAS 

"  DANNY  !  Oh,  mj  God !  Don't  say  I'm  dreaming ! 
And  JIMMY  !  " 

And  then,  with  lusty  yowl,  the  younger  of  the  startled 
cherubs  entered  his  protest  against  this  summary  awak 
ening,  and  the  words  of  ecstatic  thanksgiving  were  for 
the  moment  drowned  in  the  chorus  of  infant  lamenta 
tion.  Even  the  rapture  of  restoration  to  mother  arms 
was  dimmed  by  consideration  of  present  discomfort. 

But  within  were  glad-hearted  friends,  weeping  joy 
fully  with  her.  Without  were  sturdy  soldiers,  shaking 
hands  and  slapping  backs  and  shoulders  in  clumsy  de 
light,  and  somebody  was  moved  to  say  he'd  bet  the  Old 
Man  wouldn't  care  if  it  was  after  taps,  "  and — Craney's 
was  still  open." 

And  so  by  dozens  they  went  trooping  down,  for, 
though  cash  was  scant  and  the  paymaster  overdue,  the 
rules  were  suspended  and  Craney  bade  "  Barkeep " 
credit  all  comers  who  drank  to  Harris;  and  Case,  the 
bookkeeper,  with  white  and  twitching  face,  waylaid 
such  men  as  came  from  the  escort  with  odd,  insistent 
questioning.  If  'Tonio  was  really  leader  in  the  rescue, 
had  nothing  been  seen  of  'Patchie  Sanchez  ?  Was  San 
chez  heard  of — nowhere? — until,  with  his  fifth  free 
drink  to  the  health  of  everybody  concerned,  Corporal 
Dooley  turned  on  Case  with  "  What  the  hell's  it  to  you, 
anyhow,  whether  'Tonio  led  or  Sanchez's  dead  ?  "  and 
Craney,  listening  and  watching,  turned  to  Watts  and 
asked  had  Case  begun  again  ?  If  so,  they  couldn't  too 
speedily  check  him.  "  Come  up  here,  if  you're  a  man," 
insisted  Dooley,  "  and  have  wan  on  me  to  big  little 


TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS     273 

Harris  and  'Tonio — 'Tonio,  bedad,  even  if  he  did  do 
up  Loot'nent  Willett !  " 

Whereat,  even  in  the  noisy  barroom  there  was  sud 
den  silence,  save  for  responsive  murmurs  of  'Tonio's 
name,  for  strange  sympathy  had  come  sifting  in  from 
the  columns  afield.  But  Craney  had  heard  in  the  ad 
joining  room  and  was  up  in  an  instant,  Watts  following 
suit.  This  would  never  do.  This  was  disloyalty  to 
the  best  and  gentlest  and  most  courteous  of  post  com 
manders,  and  no  soldier  should,  no  employe  of  his 
could,  drink  such  a  toast  within  Craney's  doors.  But  he 
need  not  have  feared.  Promptly  a  big  sergeant  had  in 
terposed,  and  caught  the  corporal  by  the  wrist,  with 
thunderous  "  None  of  that,  Dooley !  "  Prompt  came 
Case's  answer,  though  low-toned  and  guarded :  "  I'm 
drinking  nothing,  man,  till  after  pay-day.  Then  come 
at  me  and  I'll  settle  it  with  you  drink  for  drink." 

But  Dooley's  Irish  blood  was  up,  five  fingers  of  tan 
glefoot  tingling  in  each  fist  and  bubbling  in  his  brain. 
Struggling  in  the  sergeant's  grasp,  he  shouted  his  re 
ply  :  "  Settle  be  damned !  How'd  you  settle  wid  Wil 
lett  for  the  girl  he  did  you  out?  Bluffed  him  on  a 
queen  high,  and  called  it  square!  You're  nothin'  but 
a  bluffer,  Case,  an'  all  Vancouver  knowed  it !  "  In 
the  instant  of  awkward,  amazed  silence  that  followed 
no  man  moved.  Then,  his  face  still  whiter,  his  lips 
livid,  Case  turned  to  Sergeant  Woodrow.  "  That  man 
has  no  right  to  be  heard  here — much  less  to  be  wearing 
chevrons,"  said  he.  "  His  name's  Quigley,  a  deserter 
from  the  Lost  and  Strayed!" 

It  was  then  just  midnight,  and  the  sergeant  of  the 


274     TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS 

guard,  coming  to  close  the  festivities,  went  back  with 
an  unlooked-for  prisoner,  who,  every  inch  of  the  way, 
cursed  and  foamed  and  fought,  and  swore  hideous  ven 
geance  on  Case  for  a  cur  and  a  coward,  so  that  the 
fury  of  his  denunciation  reached  even  the  general's 
quarters,  where  peace  and  congratulation  were  having 
sway,  and  lovers  were  still  whispering  ere  parting  for 
the  night — reached  even  the  ears  of  Willett  himself, 
reclining  blissfully  at  the  open  window,  with  Lilian's 
hand  in  his,  her  fair  head  pillowed  on  his  shoulder. 
There  in  the  open  hearth  lay  the  ashes  of  the  letters, 
unread,  unopened,  that  had  come  to  accuse  him,  but 
even  the  fires  of  hell  could  not  burn  out  the  memory 
of  the  wrong  that,  after  all,  had  tracked  him  here 
unerringly,  for  in  the  few  half-drunken,  all-damning 
words  that  reached  him,  Harold  Willett  heard  the  trum 
peting  of  his  own  disgrace.  His  sin  had  found  him 
out. 

And,  barely  an  hour  before,  he  had  sworn  to  her  that 
the  Stella  of  whom  he  had  babbled  in  his  dreams  was 
indeed  but  a  favorite  hound  he  had  lost  in  the  Colum 
bia  ;  that  no  Stella  had  penned  a  line  to  him  in  years, 
and,  taking  her  sweet,  upturned  face  between  his  palms, 
with  the  soft,  tender  brown  eyes  looking  fondly  down 
into  the  trustful,  beautiful  blue,  he  had  said :  "  My 
darling,  like  other  men,  I  have  had  fancies  in  boyish 
days,  and  even  a  flame  or  two,  but  never  a  love,  real 
love,  until  you  came  into  my  life.  In  a  week  now  I 
must  be  with  my  general  at  Prescott,  but  every  day, 
every  moment  of  my  absence,  you  will  be  the  only  girl 
in  all  the  world  to  me.  I  shall  shrink  from  the  mere 


TONIO,   SON   OF  THE  SIERRAS     275 

touch  of  another  hand.     I  shall  count  the  hours  until 
you  become  my  wife." 

And  she  believed  him,  utterly,  poor  soul.     He  even 
believed  himself. 


CHAPTER   XXV. 

THE  Gray  Fox  had  returned  to  his  own.  The  gen 
eral  commanding  the  department  was  spending  a  month 
at  head-quarters — for  him,  who  loved  the  mountains 
and  the  field,  a  most  unusual  thing.  The  wild  tribes 
of  Arizona,  with  the  exception  of  one  specially  ex 
empted  band  of  Chiricahuas  and  a  few  hopeless  des 
peradoes  with  a  price  on  their  heads,  were  gathered 
to  their  reservations — a  most  unheard-of  thing  in  all 
previous  annals  of  the  territory — and  a  season  of  un 
precedented  gayety  had  dawned  on  the  post  of  Fort 
Whipple  and  the  adjacent  martial  settlement,  the  homes 
of  the  staff  and  their  families.  The  general  and  his 
good  wife,  childless,  and  boundless  in  their  hospitality, 
had  opened  their  doors  to  army  wayfarers.  New  offi 
cers  were  there  from  'Frisco  and  the  States.  Matrons 
and  young  women,  new  to  Arizona,  had  come  to  en 
liven  the  once  isolated  posts  of  the  desert  and  moun 
tain.  Major  Dennis,  of  one  supply  department,  was 
accompanied  by  a  young  and  lovely  and  lively  wife, 
who  danced,  if  Dennis  did  not.  Major  Prime,  of  an 
other,  had  recently  been  joined  by  his  wife  and  two 
daughters,  bright,  vivacious  girls,  just  out  of  school  and 
into  society,  and,  perhaps  most  important  of  all, 
Colonel  and  Mrs.  Darrah,  of  the  Infantry,  had  come, 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS     277 

accompanied  by  their  daughter  Evelyn,  as  beautiful 
and  dashing  a  belle  as  had  ever  bewildered  the  bache 
lors  about  the  Golden  Gate,  and  from  every  camp  or 
post  within  a  hundred  miles  or  more  junior  officers  had 
been  called  in  to  Prescott,  on  "  Board/'  court-martial 
duty  or  leave,  until  nearly  a  dozen  were  gathered,  and 
while  boards  and  courts  dragged  their  slow  length,  and 
maps,  reports  and  records  of  the  recent  campaign  were 
being  laboriously  yawned  over  at  odd  intervals  during 
the  sunshiny  days,  far  more  thought  and  time  and  at 
tention  were  being  given  to  riding,  driving,  tramping 
and  picnic  parties — even  croquet  coming  in  for  honor 
able  mention — while  every  night  had  its  "  hop  "  and 
some  nights  their  ball  that  lasted  well  toward  morn 
ing,  and  for  the  first  time  in  its  history  "  head-quar 
ters  "  was  actually  gay.  Time  had  been  in  the  recent 
past  when  a  Fort  Whipple  hop  consisted,  as  said  a 
cynical  chief  commissary,  in  "  putting  on  full  uniform 
and  watching  Thompson  dance  a  waltz,"  there  being 
then  but  one  officer  at  the  station  equipped  with  the 
requisite  accomplishment.  Now  there  were  more  dan 
cers  than  girl  partners.  The  latter  were  in  their  glory, 
and  the  married  women  in  clover.  "  Let  them  have  a 
good  time/'  said  the  chief,  when  his  pragmatical  ad 
jutant  would  have  suggested  sending  some  of  them  back 
to  their  posts  to  finish  maps  and  reports  they  were  only 
neglecting  here.  "  But  they'll  be  getting  impatient  at 
division  head-quarters/7  said  the  man  of  tape  and  rule. 
It  was  a  whip  which  often  told  on  department  com 
manders,  but  not  on  Crook.  "  Let  them  have  a  good 
time.  Every  one  of  those  youngsters  has  been  scout- 


278     TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS 

ing  and  fighting  and  living  on  bacon  and  beans  for  the 
last  six  months,  and  I  like  to  see  them  dance."  The 
office-bred  officer  sighed,  and  wondered  what  the  papers, 
or  Congress,  would  say  if  they  knew  it.  The  service- 
tried  soldier  said  he'd  take  all  the  raps  and  respon 
sibility,  and  that  ended  it.  So  here  were  the  young 
gallants  of  the  cavalry  and  infantry,  active,  slender, 
sinewy,  clear-eyed,  bronze-cheeked  fellows,  as  a  rule, 
capital  dancers  and  riders,  all-round  partners,  too, 
though  few  had  a  penny  laid  by  for  a  rainy  day,  and 
several  had  mortgaged  pay  accounts.  There  was  Billy 
Ray,  from  Camp  Cameron,  who  could  outride  a  va- 
quero,  and  "  Legs  "  Blake  from  McDowell,  who  could 
outclimb  an  Apache,  and  Stryker,  of  the  scouts,  who 
had  won  fame  in  a  year,  and  "  Lord "  Mitchell,  his 
classmate,  whom  the  troopers  laughed  at  for  a  fop  the 
first  few  months,  and  then  worshipped  for  his  daring 
after  the  pitched  battle  at  the  Caves.  There  were  three 
or  four  young  benedicts  with  better  halves  in  the  far 
East,  who  had  forgotten  little  of  their  dancing  days, 
and  not  too  much  of  their  wooing,  and  there  were  lesser 
lights  among  the  subs,  and  two  or  three  captains  still 
uncaught,  and  even  one  or  two  men  of  whom  others 
spoke  not  too  highly,  like  Craven,  and  "  that  man 
Gleason,"  to  whom  Blake  would  not  speak  at  all.  Then 
there  were  Steele  and  Kelly  from  Wickenberg  and 
Date  Creek,  and  Strong  was  to  come  up  from  Almy, 
bringing  with  him  in  chains  the  desperado,  Tatchie 
Sanchez,  secreted  by  his  own  people  when  charged  with 
the  killing  of  the  interpreter,  but  tamely  sold  when  a 
price  was  set  on  his  head.  And  the  commander  sent 


TONIO,  SON   OF   THE  SIERRAS     279 

still  another  missive  to  Archer,  whom  the  luckier  gen 
eral  held  in  especial  affection,  enclosing  one  from  the 
good  wife  to  Mrs.  Archer,  begging  that  she  and  Lilian 
should  be  their  guests  for  a  week,  "  and  as  long  there 
after  as  practicable/7  that  the  engagement  might  be 
ratified  and  celebrated,  "  for  we  all  think  Mr.  Willett 
the  most  fortunate  of  men." 

And  then,  of  course,  there  were  Wickham  and 
Bright,  the  general's  other  aides,  who  were  famous  en 
tertainers,  and  then,  above  all,  perhaps — pitted  for  the 
first  time  against  all  the  soldier  beaux  of  Arizona — 
there  was  the  general's  latest  acquisition,  handsome, 
graceful,  charming  Hal  Willett,  who  had,  with  char 
acteristic  modesty,  made  no  mention  of  the  fact  that 
he  was  an  engaged  man  until  Mrs.  Stannard's  letter  to 
Mrs.  Crook  told  all  about  it,  and  we,  who  knew  and 
loved  Mrs.  Stannard,  knew  just  why  she  wrote,  and 
never  blamed  her,  as  did  Willett. 

The  very  night  of  the  very  day  it  came  he  was  dan 
cing  gloriously  with,  and  had  been  saying  things  to, 
Evelyn  Darrah  that  she  one  day  earlier  had  listened 
to  with  bated  breath.  Now  his  mustache  swept  her 
pretty  ear  as  he  lowered  his  head  in  the  midst  of  the 
loveliest  "  glide,"  and  murmured  something  more, 
whereat  she  had  suddenly  swung  herself  out  of  the 
circle  of  his  arm,  swept  him  a  stately  courtesy  and 
fairly  startled — stunned  him  by  the  question :  "  Isn't 
that  just  a  little  high — for  a  gentleman's  game,  Mr. 
Willett?" 

The  very  words  were  enough  to  amaze  him !     "  What 


280     TONIO,   SON   OF   THE  SIERRAS 

on  earth  do  you  mean  ?  "  he  demanded,  as  soon  as  he 
recovered  self-control. 

"  I  mean,"  said  she,  straightening  to  her  full  height 
again,  and  looking  him  fairly  in  the  eyes,  "  that  for  an 
engaged  man  you  have  exceeded,  or,  as  you  would  say, 
6  raised  the  limit.' ' 

There  were  dozens  dancing,  chatting,  laughing  about 
them,  and  some  few  watching,  for  his  attentions,  first 
to  pretty  Mrs.  Dennis,  and  then  the  devotions  by  means 
of  which  he  had  swept  aside  all  other  suitors  of  Evelyn 
Darrah,  had  set  all  tongues  to  wagging.  "  The  old  Wil- 
lett  over  again/7  said  Bright,  who  had  known  him  at  the 
Point.  Only  that  day  had  the  mail  come  up  from  Almy 
and  McDowell,  and  he  ought  to  have  known  what  it 
would  betray.  There  must  have  been  other  letters — men's 
letters — for  at  mess  there  had  been  sly  allusions  to  the 
fluctuations  of  fortune,  the  comparative  values  of 
"  straights  "  and  "  pats,"  and  this  girl  had  turned  and 
taunted  him  with  the  very  words  of  that  infernal,  and 
he  had  hoped,  forgotten  game.  Moreover,  she,  a  bril 
liant,  beautiful,  practised  woman  of  society,  by  no 
means  the  delicate  and  sensitive  little  desert  flower 
whose  worship  he  had  won  so  readily,  had  dared  to 
fence  with  him,  had  interested,  piqued,  fascinated,  and 
now  wellnigh  bewitched  him.  He  was  not  yet  well  of 
his  wounds  by  any  manner  of  means.  He  was  still 
weak — far  too  weak  to  ride  or  climb  or  do  much  in 
the  way  of  walking,  but  he  could  look,  and  be  most 
interesting  lolling  in  an  invalid  chair.  Women  had 
come  and  ministered  to  him  in  his  convalescence,  and 
pretty  Mrs.  Dennis  had  made  quite  a  fool  of  herself, 


TONIO,  SON   OF  THE  SIERRAS     281 

said  certain  elders,  but  when  it  came  to  cutting  in  for 
Evelyn  Darrah,  Willett  had  had  to  be  up  and  doing, 
even  finally,  for  her  and  her  alone,  as  he  murmured, 
daring  to  dance.  There  was  nothing  else  he  did  so 
supremely  well,  and  men  and  women  watched  them 
enviously,  perhaps,  yet  delightedly,  and  men  and 
women  were  watching  now  as  he  followed  her  to  her 
seat,  dropped  to  the  one  beside  her,  and  bent  absorbedly 
over  her  again,  pale,  agitated,  and  they  saw  her  speak 
ing,  saw  him  vehemently  pleading,  saw  him  prevail 
ing,  for  his  pallor  and  emotion  lent  force  to  his  im 
passioned  words.  Practised  belle,  coquette,  flirt  she 
might  have  been,  but  the  woman  is  rare  indeed  who  can 
utterly  disbelieve,  in  face  of  such  a  combination,  that 
she  at  least  is  loved.  Stella's  impassioned  letters  once 
lay  in  unbroken  packages  upon  his  mantel.  Another 
star  had  risen  and  set,  and  sent  its  missives  only  to  the 
ashes  of  his  grate,  and  now  this  very  night,  hidden  in 
his  desk,  lay  long,  close-written,  criss-crossed,  exquisite 
pages,  the  outpourings  of  a  young  and  guileless  and 
glorious  nature,  and  they,  too,  lay,  as  did  that  early 
Stella's,  unread,  unheeded,  almost  undesired,  for  the 
man  was  inflamed  by  this  dauntless  woman's  defiance 
of  him,  and  the  devil  in  him  was  urging :  woo  her,  win 
her,  conquer  her,  crush  her,  come  what  may! 

That  night  was  but  one  of  several  in  quick  suc 
cession.  On  every  hand  he  had  to  smile,  and  say  con 
ventional  words  of  thanks  for  the  pointed  and  repeated 
congratulations  showered  upon  him.  Men  and  women 
went  out  of  their  way  at  every  turn  to  remind  him,  as 
it  were,  that  he  was  a  mortgaged  man;  and  yet,  so 


282     TONIO,  SON  OF  THE   SIERRAS 

strangely  was  he  constituted,  life  for  him  at  the  mo 
ment  seemed  to  have  but  one  object  worth  attain 
ing — Evelyn  Darrah.  Day  and  night  he  sought  her, 
pursued  her,  and  men  began  to  shun  him,  and  he  never 
heeded.  Women  began  to  shrink  from  her,  and  she 
saw,  yet,  for  to  some  there  is  the  gambler's  madness 
in  the  game,  she  let  them  shrink.  What  were  their 
slights  in  comparison  with  the  thrilling  joy  of  this  con 
quest?  This  man  was  at  her  feet,  abject,  pleading, 
praying.  It  was  hers  to  spurn  or  sway  him  as  she 
would.  ISTever  doubting  her  own  power  to  turn  him 
any  instant  adrift,  she  found  delight  in  the  passion 
of  so  virile,  graceful,  glorious  a  lover,  the  man  of  whom 
she  had  heard  other  women  speak  for  three  long  years, 
and  now  he  was  hers — hers  to  do  with  as  she  dared — 
to  break  or  make  as  was  her  caprice.  What — what 
if  men  looked  stern  and  women  shrank?  This  was  a 
game  well  worth  the  candle,  let  them  sneer  who  would. 
What  had  promised  to  be  a  fortnight  of  jollification 
had  become  charged  with  matters  of  grave  moment. 
Strong  had  arrived,  bringing  the  shackled  Sanchez, 
and,  when  hospitably  bidden  to  stay  a  week  and  have 
some  fun,  he  said  he  reckoned  he  ought  to  get  back  as 
quick  as  possible — "  the  Old  Man  had  much  to  bother 
him,"  this  in  confidence  to  Bright.  "  The  Old  Man's 
coming  up  here,"  said  Bright,  "  quick  as  the  general 
can  coax  him,  and  he's  just  going  to  have  a  welcome 
that  will  warm  the  cockles  of  his  heart/'  and  then,  like 
the  loyal  aide  he  was,  Bright  essayed  to  make  Archer's 
adjutant  see  that  while  the  general  commanding  had 
been  constrained  to  differ  with  the  commander  at  Camg 


TONIO,  SON   OF  THE   SIERRAS     283 

Almy,  he  personally  held  him  in  affection  and  esteem. 
"  I'm  afraid/'  said  he,  "  General  Archer  thinks  he  is 
misunderstood  about  this  'Tonio  business,  and — and — 
Harris.  Here's  Willett,  now,  perfectly  willing  to 
drop  the  whole  case  against  'Tonio  and  say  no  more 
about  it." 

"  What  ?  "  said  Strong,  in  amaze.  "  Why,  at  Almy 
ne  damned  him  time  and  again — swore  he  had  twice 
tried  to  kill  him.  If  he  acquits  'Tonio,  whom  in  God's 
name  does  he  suspect  ?  "  asked  Strong,  a  queer  thought 
occurring  to  him  as  he  recalled  the  furious  words  of 
the  deserter  Dooley,  alias  Quigley,  another  prisoner 
to  be  tried. 

Bright  dodged.  "  The  queer  thing  about  it,"  said 
he,  "  is  that  Brown  there,  at  McDowell,  is  demanding 
investigation,  and  says  he  believes  there  was  collusion 
in  camp — men  who  insist  that  ' Tonio' s  a  trump.  And 
now  we  have  news  from  Harris,  and  he  demands  in 
vestigation,  in  'Tonio's  name — says  there's  a  side  to 
the  story  only  'Tonio  can  tell,  and  will  tell  only  to  the 
Big  Chief." 

Strong  pondered  a  moment.  "There's  more  than 
one  queer  thing  we  can't  fathom  at  Almy,"  said  he. 
"Harris  and  'Tonio  never  had  anything  to  do  with 
that  Sanchez  crowd.  'Tother  Sanchez,  and  Munoz, 
helped  the  chase  of  'Tonio — did  their  best  to  catch  him, 
and  yet  over  at  McDowell  they're  thick  as  thieves." 

"  Not  a  bit  of  it !  They  never  saw  each  other  until 
— well,  somebody  made  Brown  believe  the  general 
would  censure  his  showing  favors  to  'Tonio,  so  what 
does  he  do  but  order  him  in  with  Sanchez.  That  night 


284     TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

both  get  away.  Then  'Patchie's  own  people  brought 
him  back  for  cash.  There  isn't  money  or  blood  enough 
in  all  Arizona  to  tempt  them  to  lay  hands  on  'Tonio. 
Sanchez  wants  to  talk  with  the  general,  says  he  can 
tell  things  the  chief  would  like  to  know.  Can  he  ?  " 

"  How  should  I  know  ?  "  asked  Strong.  "  There's 
more  of  a  mix  in  this  business  than  I  can  straighten 
out.  It  looks  to  me  as  though  more  than  one  man 
had  his  grudge  against  this  fine  feathered  bird  that 
came  down  to  show  us  how  to  tackle  Apaches/'  and 
Bright  changed  the  subject,  as  was  his  way  when  men 
or  women  ventured  to  question  the  methods  of  the 
Powers.  All  the  same,  he  told  his  general  of  Strong's 
suspicions,  and  that  night  the  general  summoned  both 
Sanchez  and  Strong,  and  there  was  a  scene  in  the  moon 
light,  down  by  the  old  log  guard-house. 

Sanchez,  heavily  shackled  and  scared  almost  out  of 
his  wits  in  the  belief  that  he  would  speedily  be  hanged, 
or  shot  to  death,  fell  on  his  knees  at  sight  of  the  tall, 
bearded  commander,  and  strove  to  seize  his  hand.  In 
the  indescribable  jargon  of  the  Indo-Mexican  frontier, 
he  implored  the  general's  mercy ;  he  wailed  that  he  was 
a  poor  and  wronged  and  innocent  man.  He  had  no 
thought  of  killing — only  inducing  the  interpreter  to 
leave  him,  and  the  interpreter  tried  to  shoot  him.  It 
was  to  save  his  own  life  he  slashed  at  his  guardian  and 
ran,  never  knowing  he  had  hurt  him.  He  was  fright 
ened  at  McDowell;  though  soldiers  planned  to  lynch 
him.  He  dared  not  stay.  He  had  filed  his  shackles 
and  the  window  bars,  and  was  watching  opportunity 
to  tear  them  loose  and  run,  when  'Tonio  was  put  in 


TONIO,  SON  OF   THE   SIERRAS     285 

his  cell.  That  night  he  saw  his  chance,  climbed  out 
and  slid  away  to  the  mountains,  just  before  the  third 
relief  was  inspected,  but  he  did  not  wake  or  tell  'Tonio. 
'Tonio  was  a  wicked  Indian,  who  twice  tried  to  kill 
Lieutenant  Willett.  'Tonio  should  be  hanged.  'Tonio's 
people  hated  Sanchez,  because  he  "  always  friend  to 
the  Big  Chief  Crook  and  the  Americanos."  'Tonio 
knew  where  to  find  him,  it  seems,  and  set  Lieutenant 
Harris  to  catch  him.  Now,  said  Sanchez,  if  Big  Chief 
only  would  let  him  go  he  would  bring  in  two,  three 
'Patchie-Mohaves,  'Tonio's  own  people,  who  saw  'Tonio 
shoot  and  try  to  kill  Teniente  Willett — saw  him  shoot 
and  club,  shoot  twice.  Sanchez  called  on  the  Blessed 
Virgin  and  all  the  saints  to  witness  his  innocence,  his 
entire  truth,  and  the  chief,  with  just  one  gesture  of 
disbelief  and  disgust,  turned  quietly  away. 

"  You  may  as  well  tell  him,  Wickham,"  said  he,  and, 
with  Bright  at  his  side,  strode  back  to  head-quarters 
hill,  leaving  Strong  and  his  senior  aide  to  settle  the 
matter. 

"  You  damned  fool !  "  said  Blackboard  contemptu 
ously.  "  It  wasn't  'Tonio ;  it  was  your  own  people  gave 
you  up.  It  wasn't  'Tonio ;  it  was  your  own  brother  shot 
Teniente  Willett.  His  own  revolver  was  found  at  the 
spot.  Your  own  people  say  he  did  it !  " 

"  Lie !  Lie !  "  shrieked  Sanchez,  livid  from  fright 
and  amaze.  "  Jose  no  have  pistol  that  night.  Jose 
lose  him  to  Case — monte — two  days  before !  Case  shoot 
him !  Case  shoot  him !  Munoz  see  him.  'Patchie-Mo- 
have  see  him!  Look,  Seiior  Capitan,  I  bring  them 
all — all  say  so." 


286     TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

"  I  thought  we'd  be  getting  at  bottom  facts  before 
we  finished  with  our  greaser  gang/'  said  Wickham, 
with  no  symptom  of  either  surprise  or  emotion.  "  Very 
good,  Sanchez.  We'll  give  you  the  chance  to  swear 
to  it  and  bring  your  witnesses.  Take  him  in,  sergeant, 
and  keep  this  to  yourself.  E"ow  bring  out  Dooley." 

Half  an  hour  later,  just  as  the  midnight  call  of  the 
sentries  was  going  the  rounds,  Hal  Willett,  after  whis 
pered  words  of  good-night  to  a  tall  and  slender  shadow 
at  Darrah's  door,  came  swiftly  up  the  steps  of  his  new- 
quarters,  and  was  surprised  to  find  a  little  group  at  the 
adjoining  veranda.  Two  civilians  were  there,  one  of 
whom  he  knew  to  be  the  sheriff.  Strong  was  there  and 
Wickham  was  giving  some  instructions  in  low  tone  to 
the  three. 

"  You  start  at  dawn,"  were  the  words  that  caught 
Willett's  ear,  "  and  you  should  have  him  at  Prescott 
within  the  week.  Sure  you  need  no  further  escort  ?  " 

"  Sure,"  was  the  sententious  answer  of  the  tall  ci 
vilian,  as  he  sauntered  to  the  steps. 

"  What  is  it  ?  "  asked  Willett,  at  a  venture. 

"  Just  a  flyer,  Willett,"  said  Blackboard,  in  the  most 
off-hand  manner  imaginable.  "  Sanchez  swears  it  was 
Case  who  shot  you,  and  we're  having  him  up  to  ex 
plain." 

For  an  instant  four  men  stood  watching  Willett's 
face.  Pale  at  almost  any  time  of  late,  it  seemed  to 
have  turned  ashen  in  the  pallid  light  about  them.  He 
swayed,  too,  a  trifle,  as  though  from  sudden  shock,  and 
it  was  a  second  or  two  before  he  found  his  voice.  Then : 

"  What  infernal  rot !     Didn't  they  find  m£  own  pis- 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS     287 

tol,  that  'Tonio  had  stolen,  where  his  fellows  or  he  had 
dropped  it  in  their  flight  ?  " 

"  O,  Lord,  yes,"  was  the  airy  answer,  "  five  miles 
away.  But  Harris  found  the  real  one,  right  there  at 
the  spot.  Case  won  it  from  Sanchez  just  two  days  be 
fore.  So  he'll  be  here  with  'Tonio  the  end  of  the 
week." 


OHAPTEE  XXVL 

THAT  week  was  a  bad  one  for  Harold  Willett.  The 
general,  taking  Bright  with  him  as  usual,  had  whirled 
away  in  his  stout  spring  wagon  to  supervise  the  re- 
establishment  of  the  Indians  lately  in  rebellion.  The 
agent  at  the  Verde  reservation  had  developed  symp 
toms  of  stampede  that  were  later  diagnosed  and  treated 
as  insanity.  It  must  be  owned  that  he  had  lived  through 
troublous  times  and  had  had  experiences  to  try  the  nerve 
of  a  man  of  iron,  which  he  was  not.  The  general, 
after  settling  matters  to  his  satisfaction  at  the  reserva 
tion,  purposed  a  descent  on  Colonel  Pelham  and  Camp 
Sandy,  for  consultation  with  him  and  a  conference  with 
the  troop  and  company  commanders  returned  to  their 
soldier  honors,  after  their  strenuous  scout  through  the 
mountains.  He  left  Wickham  to  represent  him  at  head 
quarters  and  continue  his  investigation,  and  he  left 
Willett  to — recuperate,  for  already  he  had  repented  him 
of  the  impulse  that  led  to  the  brilliant  officer's  appoint 
ment  on  his  personal  staff.  Willett  had  been  a  valu 
able  and  distinguished  soldier  in  that  northern  field, 
and  only  by  these  things  had  the  general  known  him. 
That  Willett  was  a  many-sided  man,  that  he  could  be 
an  eager  and  ambitious  officer  when  once  afield,  and  a 
mere  butterfly  about  the  garrison,  had  not  occurred  to 
this  simple-minded  chief.  The  combination  of  terrier 


TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS     289 

and  lapdog  is  rare  in  the  army.  However,  Willett 
was  not  yet  fit  for  field  service,  and  the  Gray  Fox  meant 
that  he  should  have  fair  play  and  a  chance  to  redeem 
himself. 

"  We  couldn't  send  him  away  just  now  even  if  he 
were  fit  to  ride,"  said  Wickham  confidentially  to  his 
brother  aide-de-camp.  "  Dooley's  trial  begins  pres 
ently,  and  he  wants  Willett  as  to  character.  But 
Archer  and  his  household  should  be  here  by  Friday. 
Then  he'll  have  to  behave." 

Willett,  of  course,  knew  that  Archer  had  been  sent 
for,  was  coming  up  and  would  probably  bring  Mrs. 
Archer  and  Lilian.  According  to  his  estimate,  too, 
the  family  should  be  here  some  time  Friday.  Meantime 
he  had  a  fortress  to  reduce  whose  garrison  had  already 
flung  out  signals  of  distress.  "  Evelyn  Darrah  may 
have  been  a  flirt  at  'Frisco,"  said  Mrs.  Crook,  "  and 
she's  had  more  experience  than  most  girls  of  her  years, 
but  she's  not  heartless,  and  that  good-looking  scamp 
knows  it." 

"  Have  you  talked  with  Mrs.  Darrah  ?"  asked  a  fair 
friend  at  a  venture. 

"  Talked  with  Kate  Darrah !  Of  course  I've  talked 
with  her!  and  told  her  just  what  people  are  saying 
and  thinking,  but  Kate  Darrah  was  just  such  a  flirt 
when  she  was  a  girl.  Kate  Darrah  many  a  time  pulled 
the  wool  over  her  mother's  eyes,  and  now  hers  is  being 
pulled  the  same  way.  Evvy  leads  her  mother  by  the 
nose." 

"  Colonel  Darrah,  then,"  was  the  suggestion. 
-   "Dickj  Darrah!"  laughed  Mrs.   Crook,  in  merry^ 


290     TONIO,  SON   OF  THE   SIERRAS 

disdain.  "  Dicky  Darrah  never  dares  oppose  Ewy — 
let  alone  his  wife.  Kate  Darrah  says  it  just  serves 
Hal  Willett  right.  It's  no  fault  of  hers  that  he's  daft 
about  Ewy,  who's  simply  bent  on  giving  him  a  lesson 
he  richly  deserves.  When  the  Archers  come  she'll  drop 
it — and  him." 

But  the  Archers  came  sooner  than  any  one  about 
Prescott  deemed  likely  at  all.  Somebody  said,  and 
more  than  one  somebody  thought,  that  Mrs.  Archer 
had  had  more  than  a  hint  as  to  what  was  going  on.  But 
never  did  Mrs.  Archer  look  or  admit  it.  The  mail 
riders  had  resumed  their  trips.  The  paymaster  had 
made  his  visit  to  McDowell  and  had  safely  traversed 
the  Mazatzal  and  distributed  his  shekels  at  Almy.  Al 
most  every  day  there  had  been  comings  and  goings,  and 
though  no  letters  bearing  Willett' s  superscription  went 
to  Almy  except  by  regular  mail,  even  these,  it  seems, 
the  pressure  of  his  duties  made  brief  and  unlike  what 
Lilian  had  looked  for,  so  that  the  radiance  had  gone 
from  her  sweet  face  almost  as  quickly  as  it  came.  Even 
the  girl  who  bravely  insists  that  the  beloved  one  is  be 
yond  doubt,  and  above  suspicion,  and  all  that  is  perfect, 
as  Lilian  strove  to  insist — even  she  will  feel  in  her 
heart  of  hearts  that  there  has  been  neglect,  and  neglect 
crushes. 

Archer  saw  and  said  nothing  but  "  Get  ready  as 
quick  as  we  can."  They  were  looked  for  Eriday 
noon.  They  were  ushered  into  the  general's  hospitable 
quarters  late  Thursday  evening,  relayed  on  from  the 
Agua  Eria,  after  a  good  noonday  rest  in  camp,  and 
even  in  bidding  them  welcome,  welcome  over  again, 


TONIO,  SON   OF  THE   SIERRAS     291 

Mrs.  Crook  pointed  to  the  brightly  lighted  assembly 
room  down  the  winding  roadway.  "  They're  having  a 
holiday  dance  to-night,"  said  she  to  Lilian.  "  We'll 
toddle  down  after  tea  and  take  them  all  by  surprise." 
For  three  days  Willett  had  hardly  been  seen  at  the 
office,  where  indeed  there  was  little  for  him  to  do,  ex 
cept  perhaps  read  the  letters  that  had  begun  to  come 
again  from  various  quarters.  He  had  merely  slept  at 
home;  he  had  simply  lived  at  the  Darrahs.  He  was 
hardly  seen  by  any  associates  except  dancing  attendance 
upon  this  tall,  imperious  beauty,  who,  for  her  part, 
seemed  now  to.,  accept  his  devotions  as  a  matter  of 
course,  and  to  be  regardless  of  public  opinion.  Begun 
in  pique,  or  vanity,  or  devilment,  whatever  it  may  have 
been  at  the  start,  her  indifference  at  first,  her  coquetry, 
her  wiles,  her  defiance  of  his  powers  had  spurred, 
fascinated  and  finally  maddened  him.  Then,  when  she 
would  have  drawn  back,  his  apparent,  his  acted  or  his 
actual  desperation  terrified  her,  and,  all  too  late,  her 
own  battered  heart  cried  out  for  relief.  In  spite  of 
herself  she  found  her  resolution  gone,  her  indifference 
rebuked,  her  strength  wasted,  sapped.  She  was  yield 
ing  to  him  when  she  meant  to  scorn.  She  was  clinging 
to  him  when  she  meant  to  spurn.  And  now  the  last 
night,  the  last  of  their — flirtation  had  come,  and  as  she 
fluttered  away  on  his  arm  to  take  their  place  in  the 
dance,  the  cynosure  of  all  eyes,  Evelyn  Darrah  knew 
that  she  was  facing  her  fate,  that  before  the  midnight 
hour  she  must  answer.  He  would  so  have  it.  Reck 
lessly  enough  she  had  begun.  What  meant  such  affairs 
to  her  but  a  laugh?  Yet,  only  the  night  before,  as 


292     TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

they  stood  murmuring  in  the  shade  at  her  father's 
doorway,  and  he  was  begging  for  some  little  word, 
touch,  token — something  to  bid  him  hope  in  the  hell 
of  his  despair,  imploring  her  to  see  his  engagement  as 
he  saw  it — a  something  entered  into  in  his  enfeebled 
condition  because  he  saw,  everybody  saw,  that  fair 
young  girl's  self-betrayal,  and  he  had  mistaken  grati 
tude,  pity,  tenderness  for  love,  until  he,  Harold  Wil- 
lett,  had  met  her,  Evelyn  Darrah,  and  at  last  learned 
what  it  was  to  love,  passionately,  overwhelmingly — to 
love,  to  worship,  to  need,  to  crave,  and  then  on  a  sud 
den  she  had  felt  herself  seized  in  his  clasp,  and  before 
she  could,  if  she  would,  tear  herself  adrift,  his  lips, 
burning  with  eagerness,  had  sought  and  found  hers — 
upraised.  Then  she  had  broken  from  his  embrace,  but 
not  till  then.  This  morning  she  had  pleaded  headache 
and  kept  to  her  room.  This  afternoon  she  had  had  to 
meet  him,  and  could  not  repel,  reproach,  rebuke  as  she 
had  at  last  meant  to  do.  Others  were  ever  about  them 
then.  There  must  be  no  scene,  and  he  was  quite  ca 
pable  of  making  one.  And  now  this  night  he  had  come 
for  her,  yes,  and  for  her  answer.  He  was  ready,  he 
said,  to  resign  from  the  staff  at  once,  return  to  his 
regiment,  break  with  the  Archers,  explaining  that  it 
was  all — all  a  mistake,  and  then  with  her  promise  to 
be  his  wife,  what  spur  would  there  not  be  to  his  am 
bition?  He — but  it  all  made  her  feverish — frantic! 
There  was  but  one  refuge — to  dance,  dance  until  her 
whirling  brain  and  throbbing  heart  were  exhausted  in 
the  wild  exhilaration,  to  dance  incessantly,  with  man 
after  man  who  sought  her,  though  few  had  opportunity 


TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS     293 

owing  to  his  persistence.  And  she  had  been  dancing 
incessantly,  as  we  danced  in  those  days — galop,  deux 
temps,  redowa,  waltz,  the  long,  undulating,  luxurious, 
sensuous  sweep  of  the  "  glide,"  and  men  and  women 
stood  and  watched  them,  time  and  again,  when  Wil- 
lett  claimed  her — and  he  hardly  had  look  or  word  for 
others — so  wondrous  was  that  harmony  of  motion,  that 
grace  and  beauty  of  feature  and  of  form.  Then  at  last 
came  exhaustion. 

There  were  some  little  clumps  of  cedars  on  the  slope 
just  south  of  the  assembly  hall,  as  it  stood  there  on 
the  low  ground  midway  between  the  head-quarters 
houses  on  the  ridge  to  the  south,  and  the  even  less 
commodious  cottages  of  the  puny  garrison.  There  was 
a  boardwalk  of  creaking  pine,  leading  across  the  shal 
low  ravine,  for  it  sometimes  rained  up  here  in  the 
mountains,  though  it  never  seemed  to  in  the  deep,  arid 
valleys  to  the  east.  Then  there  was  a  gravel  path 
stretching  away  toward  the  garrison  houses  north  and 
north-east,  and  one,  still  narrower  and  crookeder,  wind 
ing  up  among  the  pines  and  cedars  and  disappearing 
over  the  top  of  the  knoll,  where  the  broad  veranda  of 
the  general's  mansion  overlooked  the  entire  scene. 
Sometimes  when  the  evenings  were  warm  and  the 
dancers  flushed,  and  sometimes  even  when  there  was 
no  such  excuse,  young  couples  were  wont  to  saunter 
out  in  the  starlight  for  air  and  sentiment  and  "  spoon 
ing."  Already  Willett  knew  the  labyrinth,  and  wel 
comed  the  excuse  to  lead  her  forth,  his  arm  almost 
supporting  her.  It  was  about  eleven.  The  elders  were 
absorbing  mild  refreshments  at  the  moment.  The 


294     TONIO,  SON   OF  THE  SIERRAS 

musicians  were  glad  of  a  rest,  a  sandwich  and  a  cup 
of  coffee,  and  a  puff  at  a  pipe  before  again  resuming 
their  melodious,  if  monotonous,  labor.  The  windows 
of  the  assembly  room  were  so  near  the  ground  that  it 
was  easy  for  these  who  did  not  attend  the  dances  to 
supervise  from  without,  and  it  often  happened  that  a 
fringe  of  respectfully  admiring  spectators  would  sur 
round  the  building  until  the  late  roll-call  summoned 
the  soldier  circle  away. 

And  yet  this  Thursday  night  there  were  two  or  three 
little  parties  peering  in  at  the  southward  windows,  some 
of  whom  came  down  from  the  general's  quarters  very 
late.  To  Mrs.  Crook's  laughing  suggestion  that  they 
should  "  toddle  down  after  tea  "  Mrs.  Archer  had  en 
tered  gentle  protest.  It  was  too  late.  They  were  not 
dressed.  She  feared  Lilian  was  too  tired.  What 
mother  would  not  oppose  her  precious  daughter's  mak 
ing  her  appearance  at  a  dance  in  travelling  garb,  after 
a  day  of  driving?  To  her  mother's  protest  Lilian  had 
at  first  made  no  rejoinder.  The  flush  of  the  first  few 
minutes  of  welcomed  arrival  soon  left  her  winsome  face, 
and  the  resultant  pallor  emphasized  her  mother's  edict 
— that  she  was  too  tired.  But  it  was  not  long  before 
they  noted,  all  of  them — father,  mother  and  hostess — 
that  her  thoughts  were  only  there  at  the  dance,  that 
her  ears  were  attentive  only  to  the  strains  of  music 
that,  once  in  a  while,  came  wafting  upward  from  the 
hall,  and  when  a  little  later,  refreshed  by  tea  and  a 
bountiful  supper,  they  again  returned  to  the  parlor 
and  the  sound  of  the  dance,  Mrs.  Crook  caught  the 
longing  in  Lilian's  eyes. 


TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS     295 

"  Oh,  come,"  she  said,  "  let's  just  run  down  a  few 
minutes  and  peep  in;  Lilian  wants  to  see,  and  I'll  send 
word  in,  sidewise,  that  will  bring  somebody  out  with  a 
jump." 

They  seized  their  wraps  and  started,  Archer  gal 
lantly  tendering  his  arm  to  the  commander's  wife,  but 
she  would  none  of  it.  "  Nonsense !  I've  got  to  pilot 
you!  That  walk  is  steep  and  crooked  and  pitch  dark 
when  you  get  among  the  cedars.  I  want  to  chat  with 
Mrs.  Archer,"  and  the  old  soldier  thanked  her  in  his 
heart.  More  than  ever  before  he  wished  to  have  that 
arm  about  his  own  little  girl  this  night.  Was  it  pos 
sible  she  too  felt  the  premonition  that  had  come  to 
him?  Had  her  mother,  after  all,  told  her  of  the  little 
hints  they  had  received?  Something  had  come.  He 
could  swear  it.  Something  to  make  her  strangely  silent, 
but  eager,  fluttering,  nervous — something  that  prompted 
her  as  they  neared  the  building,  and  the  little  hand 
clinging  to  her  father's  arm  shook  with  strange  excite 
ment,  to  bend  forward  close  to  their  friend  and  hostess, 
and  just  as  the  latter  was  about  to  hail  some  young 
officer  on  the  steps,  Lilian  interposed.  "  Oh — please," 
was  all  she  said,  but  her  fingers  had  caught  the  flutter 
ing  fold  of  the  mantle,  and  Mrs.  Crook  turned  at  once. 
"  You'd  rather  not  ?"  she  asked,  with  quick,  sympa 
thetic  understanding.  "  I  won't  then.  Plenty  of  time. 
Let's  watch  the  dance  first." 

And  so  saying  she  had  marshalled  them  close  to  the 
southward  windows,  Lilian  and  her  father  at  the  near- 
most,  she  and  Mrs.  Archer  going  on  to  the  next. 

It  was  Keler  Beler's  "  Am  Schoenen  Ehein  "  they 


296     TONIO,  SON   OF   THE  SIERRAS 

were  playing  at  the  moment,  with  its  sweet,  weird, 
luring,  mournful,  warning  Lorelei  motif  dominating  in 
the  waltz  measure,  and,  with  parted  lips  and  clinging 
to  her  father's  side,  Lilian  stood  close  to  the  window 
and  looked  and  listened,  saying  not  one  word.  There 
were  but  three  couples  dancing  at  the  moment.  There 
might  as  well  have  been  but  one  for,  within  the  hall 
and  without,  the  eyes  of  all  seemed  fastened  on  that. 
Some  strange  caprice  had  prompted  Evelyn  Darrah  to 
wear  black  that  night — a  grenadine,  with  cobweb  lace 
and  glinting  spangles  and  sweeping  train,  the  bodice 
cut  low  and  displaying  her  shapely  arms  and  neck  and 
shoulders,  enhancing  the  grace  of  her  tall  and  slender 
form.  Her  dark  hair  was  coiled  in  masses,  yet  here 
and  there  a  curl  or  tendril  fell  upon  the  soft,  polished 
skin,  or  floated  about  cheek  and  temple.  Her  eyelids, 
heavily  lashed,  veiled  her  downcast  eyes.  Her  coral 
lips  were  slightly  parted.  Her  almost  queenly  head 
was  bowed  as  though  to  incline  that  little  ear  to  catch 
the  words  he  was  eagerly  pouring  into  it.  !N~ot  a  vestige 
of  a  smile  was  on  either  face,  each  was  dark,  sombre, 
beautiful,  absorbed.  His  handsome  head  was  bowed 
until  the  curling  mustache  swept  her  rounded,  flushing 
cheek.  In  exquisite  rhythm  and  harmony  the  two  tall, 
graceful  forms  swayed  in  unison  with  the  exquisite  love 
music,  every  step,  every  motion  perfectly  attuned.  It 
seemed  as  though  no  guiding  were  necessary.  Slowly 
gliding,  turning,  reversing,  he  in  his  faultless  uniform, 
she  in  her  sweeping,  diaphanous  sable,  seemed,  without 
effort  or  the  faintest  exertion,  fairly  floating  upon  air. 
No  wonder  they  sat  or  stood  and  gazed— these  elders 


TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS     297 

along  the  bordering  benches — these  others  among  the 
dancers — these  few,  wordless,  at  the  windows.  Then, 
with  the  Lorelei  melody  lingering  to  the  last,  the  sweet, 
sad  music  died  away  and  the  waltz  was  ended.  People 
began  to  move  toward  the  doorway.  "  They're  going 
for  their  bite  and  sup,"  said  Mrs.  Crook.  "  See,  there 
go  the  bandsmen.  Shall — we?" 

"  I  think  not,  if  you  don't  mind/'  said  Mrs.  Archer 
with  anxious  glance  at  the  other  window,  where  Lilian 
still  stood,  looking  straight  at  the  doorway  through 
which  that  couple  had  led  and  so  many  now  were  fol 
lowing.  She  had  neither  spoken  nor  moved,  nor  had 
he,  her  father.  His  back  was  toward  them,  but  from 
the  very  pose  of  his  head  the  wife  well  knew  his  eyes 
were  fixed  upon  the  face  of  his  beloved  child,  with  who 
can  say  what  depth  of  sorrow,  sympathy,  yearning 
for  her — with  what  passion  of  wrath  and  resentment 
for  him.  "  Come,"  said  Mrs.  Crook  briefly,  for  she, 
too,  saw.  Then  Archer  gently  laid  his  hand  upon 
the  slender  fingers  that  seemed  clinching  his  arm,  and 
with  sudden  little  gasp  or  sob,  and  shiver,  Lilian  whirled 
upon  him,  her  eyes  big  and  dry  and  glittering.  "  Oh ! 
wasn't  it — didn't  they  dance — beautifully?"  she  cried, 
as  he  grouned  his  teeth  and  turned  to  lead  her  away. 

And  just  at  that  instant — just  as  such  things  will 
happen,  who  should  come  chirruping  round  the  corner 
but  the  chaplain  and  his  wife,  with  Mrs.  Chief 
Quartermaster  and  a  guest  from  Camp  Sandy,  just  in 
time  to  stumble  upon  Mrs.  Crook  and  Mrs.  Archer 
vainly  striving  to  dodge  and  get  home.  It  was  too  late. 
They  were  captured,  surrounded,  pounced  upon.  "  Oh, 


298     TONIO,  SON   OF  THE  SIERRAS 

when  did  you  come  ?"  "  Oh,  how  did  you  get  here  ?" 
"  Oh,  where  is  Lilian  ?"  etc.,  etc.,  and  Archer,  never 
hesitating,  quick  was  he  in  action  ever,  instantly  turned 
about.  "  This  way,  sweetheart,"  he  murmured,  in  the 
fond  father  love  that  welled  from  his  great  heart.  A 
few  strides  carried  them  back  into  the  darkness,  around 
by  the  westward  end,  where  the  clamor  of  voices  and 
clatter  of  cups  and  plates  at  the  supper  room  drowned 
other  sounds,  and  then  in  the  darkness  he  led  his 
darling,  voiceless  still,  across  the  little  wooden  bridge 
and  up  the  gentle  slope  among  the  cedars,  hoping  by 
a  wide  detour  to  dodge  these  importunates  and  lead  his 
child  to  her  own  room,  and  there  mount  guard  over 
her  until  the  mother  came.  There  is  a  sorrow  that 
passeth  understanding,  and  is  known  not  of  all  men — 
the  mute,  helpless,  impotent  sorrow  of  the  father  who 
feels  the  heartache,  and  sees  the  suffering  of  a  beloved 
child,  and  cannot  even  trust  himself  to  speak  of  it. 

And  Fate  was  still  against  them.  The  God  that 
meant  to  cure  was  merciful  and  merciless  as  is  the 
knife.  Sinless  as  was  this  gentle  flower,  even  she  must 
suffer  and  endure,  for  here  were  obstacles  again,  even 
here  across  their  path!  They  were  upon  them  almost 
before  they  knew  it,  yet  upon  them  unseen,  unheard, 
for,  absorbed  in  each  other,  this  opposing  couple  knew 
nothing  but  their  own  affair,  and  well  they  might,  for 
a  sob  was  the  first  sound  to  catch  the  soldier's  ear,  a 
stifled  cry,  and  then  a  deep,  manly  voice  imploring, 
protesting,  a  torrent  of  murmured  words,  fond,  assur 
ing,  caressing,  passionate,  a  deluge  of  thrilling  endear 
ments,  a  mingling  of  sobs  and  kisses,  for  the  woman's 


TONIO,  SON   OF  THE  SIERRAS     299 

overcharged  nature  had  broken  under  the  strain,  and 
in  the  refuge  of  his  clasping  arms  was  sobbing  her 
heart  out  on  this  new  lover's  breast.  Archer,  raging, 
would  have  brushed  them  by,  but  Lilian  held  him. 
"  Not  that  way ;  oh,  not  that  way !  "  she  whispered 
hoarsely.  And  then  he  understood,  and  together  they 
fled  back  the  way  they  came. 


CHAPTEE  XXVII. 

IT  was  a  merciful  Providence,  as  many  of  the  exiles 
later  said,  that  brought  the  commanding  general  him 
self  late  that  starlit  evening  back  to  Prescott.  His 
stout  mountain  wagon,  and  special  six-mule  team  had 
whirled  him  up  from  the  Verde  after  the  briefest  of 
conferences  with  the  cavalry  colonel  there  in  command. 
An  Indian  runner  from  Almy  had  reached  them  early 
that  Thursday  morning,  announcing  the  return  of 
Stannard  and  his  troop,  accompanied  by  Lieutenant 
Harris,  'Tonio  and  certain  of  the  Apache-Mohaves, 
the  arrest  by  civil  authorities  and  attempted  suicide  of 
Case,  and  the  further  gathering  under  the  wing  of 
the  law  of  Jose  Sanchez,  of  Munoz,  and  even  of  Dago, 
all  of  whom,  it  was  said,  were  wanted  at  Prescott. 
Stannard  found  the  Archers  gone,  found  himself,  as 
senior  captain,  temporarily  in  command  of  the  post, 
and  called  upon  to  furnish  military  escort  for  the  civil 
posse  comitatus.  Stannard  was  a  soldier  pure  and 
simple.  He  would  have  shown  as  a  mammoth  bull 
in  a  china  shop  had  he  and  his  troop  been  at  the  mo 
ment  in  the  Southern  states,  instead  of  the  south 
western  territory.  He  stood  ready  to  do  any  amount 
of  arresting  the  government  might  order.  He  was  en 
tirely  willing  to  send  a  subaltern  and  a  score  of  troopers 
to  convoy  the  entire  party — sheriff  and  deputies,  posse 


TONIO,  SON   OF   THE  SIERRAS     301 

and  prisoners — to  the  territorial  capital,  but,  like  the 
old  war-horse  he  was,  he  balked,  stiff-necked  and  stiff- 
legged,  at  the  sheriff's  demand  that  the  escort  should 
report  to  him — should  be,  in  point  of  fact,  under  his 
orders. 

Not  to  put  too  fine  a  point  upon  it,  Stannard  had 
said  he'd  see  him  damned  first,  whereupon  the  sheriff 
refused  to  make  the  trip,  and  appealed  to  the  terri 
torial  authorities,  while  Stannard  sent  a  runner  up  to 
district  head-quarters  for  instructions.  Each  messen 
ger  had  nearly  ninety  miles  to  go,  so  the  race  was  about 
even,  despite  the  fact  that  the  sheriff's  couriers  were 
mounted  and  Stannard's  runner  went  afoot.  The  un 
initiated  would  have  backed  the  riders  to  win,  but  Stan 
nard  backed  the  runner.  The  former  were  deputies 
and  white;  the  latter  was  Apache-Mohave  and  brown. 
The  former  had  a  road  and  a  roadside  ranch  or  two, 
whereat  they  might  and  did  obtain  rest  and  refresh 
ment.  The  redskin  had  only  a  trail,  and  no  tempta 
tions.  The  Apache  won  out  in  a  walk,  literally  a  jog 
trot.  Luck  as  well  as  pluck  favored  the  latter,  for  he 
found  the  department,  as  well  as  the  district,  com 
mander  at  Sandy,  and  Stannard's  instructions  were 
started  back  that  very  morning.  "  Come  up  yourself 
to  Prescott,"  they  said.  "  Bring  Harris  and  'Tonio 
and  such  of  'Tonio's  people  as  are  necessary.  Come 
prepared  to  stay  a  week  at  least,  and  be  sure  that  Mrs. 
Stannard  comes  with  you.  Use  your  own  judgment 
as  to  route  and  escort.  Offer  the  sheriff  the  protection, 
but  by  no  manner  of  means  the  command,  of  your 
party" 


802     TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

Having  thus  settled  that  question,  the  Gray  Fox  be 
thought  him  that  it  might  be  just  as  well  to  scoot  for 
home,  lest  other  councils  should  prevail  about  the  capi 
tal.  Such  councils  had  prevailed,  and  in  the  recent 
past.  He  had  still  in  mind  the  embarrassing  episode 
of  Willett's  "  instructed  "  descent  upon  Almy.  In  view 
of  all  the  resultant  complications  he  could  not  well  for 
get  it,  and  so,  having  finished  his  chat  with  Pelham, 
the  tireless  brigadier  went  bowling  away  by  mountain 
road,  the  faithful  Bright  beside  him,  and  was  landed 
at  his  own  door  soon  after  eleven  P.M.  in  abundant 
time  to  meet  the  situation  on  the  morrow.  Even  in 
those  days,  when  the  stars  went  to  the  fighting  force 
instead  of  the  staff  corps,  it  sometimes  happened  that 
a  bureau  officer  had  political  wires  to  work. 

And  there  were  other  reasons  why  he  had  come  not 
a  moment  too  soon.  People  had  so  little  to  talk  about 
in  those  far  Western  wilds  that  they  who  had,  as  re 
lated,  unexpectedly  met  our  hostess  and  her  guest  in 
the  darkness,  and  learned  from  them  that  they  and 
Archer  and  Lilian  had  been  "  looking  on  for  ever  so 
long/7  must  needs  hurry  back  to  the  ballroom  and  tell 
it  over  and  again.  "  Why  didn't  you  bring  them  in  ?" 
"  Why  didn't  you  make  them  come  in  ?"  were  the  ques 
tions  impulsively  asked  and  not  easily  answered.  They 
couldn't  make  them  come  in!  Mrs.  Crook  said  they 
were  far  too  tired !  They  had  only  just  come  down  to 
see  how  gay  and  pretty  it  all  looked,  and  hear  the  music 
a  minute,  before  going  to  bed!  Now  they  were  going 
to  bed ! 

Then  the  people  began  looking  for  Willett  and  Eve- 


TONIO,  SON   OF   THE  SIERRAS     303 

lyn  Darrah.  There  were  not  a  few  who  would  have 
been  glad  to  be  able  to  tell  them  this  piece  of  news, 
but  the  bliss  was  denied.  There  was  nothing  unusual 
in  dancers  going  out  in  the  starlight,  as  had  Willett 
and  Evelyn.  There  was  something  odd  about  their  not 
returning,  however,  and  Mrs.  Darrah  presently  whisked 
the  colonel  home  to  see  about  it.  Then  they  did  not 
return.  They  found  the  two  on  the  dark  piazza,  just 
home,  as  said  the  daughter.  She  had  a' headache  and 
could  dance  no  more,  and  now  would  say  good-night, 
which  she  said,  and  that  left  the  colonel  alone  with 
Willett.  The  mother  followed  the  daughter  in-doors 
to  see  if  she  knew  of  the  arrival,  and  then  to  see  that 
she  did.  The  father  felt  his  way  for  a  moment  for 
some  means  of  getting  rid,  without  rudeness,  of  this 
disturbing  young  man,  and  found  that  he  could  not. 
Willett  had  something  on  his  mind  and,  as  soon  as  he 
saw  it,  Darrah  was  scared.  In  evident  mental  excite 
ment  Willett  had  followed,  closed  the  door  after  her, 
then,  pulling  nervously  at  his  mustache,  had  turned 
on  the  putative  head  of  the  house.  "  Colonel  Darrah," 
he  began  in  a  moment,  "  I  have  something  I  feel  I 

must  say  to  you " 

"Then  dorit,  my  boy,  for  God's  sake!"  said  Dar 
rah.  "  Say  it  to  Mrs.  Darrah,  will  you  ?  She — er — 
settles  all — this  sort  of  thing  for  me.  She  understands 
— er — Ewy — if  anybody  does — I'm  blessed  if  I  can, 
and — er — if  you  don't  mind,  I — I — I  think  I'll  say 
good-night.  Have  a  smoke  or  a  drink  before  you  go  ?" 
he  asked,  in  enforced  and  miserable  recognition  of  the 
demands  of  hospitality.  "  No  ?  Well,  of  course, 


304     TONIO,   SON    OF   THE   SIERRAS 

you'd  rather  be  back,  I  suppose/7  and  so  saying,  he 
hoped  to  get  Willett  to  go  without  being  the  one  to 
either  hear  what  Willett  had  to  say  or  even  to  tell 
Willett  what  he  knew — that  at  this  very  moment  Lilian 
Archer,  the  girl  to  whom  this  young  gallant's  love  and 
loyalty  were  pledged — was  harbored  there  beneath  their 
general's  roof,  where  the  lights  were  burning  on  the 
brow  of  the  hill. 

So  not  for  half  an  hour  did  Willett  get  the  news. 
He  would  not  return  to  the  hop  room.  He  did  not  go 
directly  home.  He  dimly  saw  the  mule  team,  at  spank 
ing  trot,  go  rattling  up  the  road;  saw  and  heard  it 
draw  up  at  the  general's,  and  then  whisking  back  to 
the  valley  to  deposit  Bright.  He  divined  at  once  that 
the  chief  must  have  returned  and  congratulated  himself 
that  he  would  not  be  expected  to  pay  his  duty  until 
the  morning,  especially  if  he  at  once  saw  Bright.  So 
upon  his  fellow  staff  officer  he  projected  himself  with 
proper  welcome,  and  the  first  question  Bright  asked 
was :  "  How  are  the  Archers  ?"  It  had  not  occurred  to 
him  that  no  mail  had  come  up  for  nearly  a  week — that 
Willett  did  not  know  that  they  had  started  from  Almy 
three  days  before.  Then  Wickham  came  in  and  briefly 
said :  "  Certainly.  They're  up  at  the  general's.  They 
were  down  at  the  dance  awhile,  looking  on  through 
the  windows,"  whereat  Harold  Willett's  handsome  face 
went  white. 

Late  as  it  was  he  knew  he  should  go  over  at  once, 
and  he  did,  and  it  was  God's  mercy,  as  Wickham  said 
afterwards,  that  sent  the  bearded  general,  not  the  gray- 
haired,  raging  father  to  meet  him  at  the  door.  There 


TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS     305 

had  been  a  minute  of  tearful,  almost  breathless,  confer 
ence  between  the  devoted  couple  before  Archer  released 
his  wife  from  his  arms,  sent  her  in  to  Lilian,  and  then 
came  down  as  calmly  as  he  could  to  face  his  host  and 
hostess.  There  had  been  a  moment  or  two,  in  the  sanc 
tity  of  their  chamber,  in  which  this  other  devoted  but 
childless  couple — the  Darby  and  Joan  of  the  old  army — 
conferred  swiftly  over  the  situation,  the  wife  briefly 
telling  the  soldier  spouse  of  what  she  had  seen,  heard 
and  believed,  and  a  glance  at  Archer  had  done  the 
rest.  Crook  saw  the  anguish  in  the  face  of  his  old 
friend,  and  had  only  measurably  succeeded  in  calming 
him  when  Willett's  step  was  heard  upon  the  veranda. 
The  chief  sprang  to  his  feet.  Archer  would  have  fol 
lowed,  but  with  a  silent,  most  significant  gesture,  the 
commander  warned  his  comrade  back.  Then,  closing 
the  parlor  door  behind  him,  confronted  the  young  officer 
in  the  silence  and  darkness  of  the  veranda. 

What  transpired  in  that  brief  interview  was  never 
told.  Two  or  three  couples,  wearying  of  the  dance, 
and  wending  their  homeward  way,  saw  the  two  tall, 
shadowy  forms  in  the  dim  light,  saw  that  one  of  them 
was  standing  strictly  at  attention,  and  knew  thereby 
that  the  other  must  be  the  general,  saw  that  the  inter 
view  was  very  brief,  for  in  a  moment  the  caller  raised 
a  hand  in  salute,  faced  about,  and  went  somewhat 
heavily  down  the  steps  and,  avoiding  both  the  main 
road  and  the  pathway,  disappeared  in  the  direction  of 
the  bachelors'  quarters  under  the  hill. 

At  ten  the  following  morning  a  buckboard  called  at 
Willett's  door,  and  that  young  officer  drove  away  in 


306     TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS 

travelling  rig,  with  a  valise  by  way  of  luggage,  and  when 
people  inquired,  as  many  did,  and  many  more  would 
have  done  had  they  followed  their  inclination,  what 
took  Willett  away  in  such  a  hurry  and — er — at  such 
a  time,  all  that  black-bearded  Wickham  would  say  was, 
he  heard  it  was  a  wagon.  As  for  Bright,  one  might 
as  well  seek  information  of  the  Sphinx.  There  never 
was  a  man  who,  knowing  all  about  a  matter,  could 
look,  as  more  than  one  fair  critic  had  been  heard  to 
say,  so  exasperatingly,  idiotically  ignorant.  At  noon, 
however,  it  was  known  that  Willett's  wagon  stopped  but 
a  few  moments  on  the  plaza  in  the  little  mining  town 
and  capital,  then  shot  away  southward  on  the  Hassa- 
yampa  road. 

Three  days  later  the  array  of  "  Casually  at  Post " 
ion  the  morning  report  of  Fort  Whipple  showed  an 
increase  of  something  like  a  score.  Lieutenant  Briggs 
with  a  sergeant  and  a  dozen  troopers  rode  in  the  previ 
ous  evening,  after  turning  over  a  quartette  of  dusky 
civilians  at  the  calaboose,  and  leaving  a  guard  at  the 
hospital  in  charge  of  a  pallid,  nervous,  suffering  man, 
whom  a  big-hearted  post  surgeon  received  with  com 
passionate  care.  The  doctor  had  known  him  in  better 
days.  It  was  what  was  left  of  the  recent  lion  of  Camp 
'Almy — Case  the  bookkeeper. 

Among  the  arrivals  extraordinary  at  head-quarters 
on  the  hill  were  Captain  and  Mrs.  Stannard  of  Camp 
'Almy,  Captain  Bonner,  Lieutenant  Strong,  post  adju 
tant  thereat,  and  then,  as  Bright' s  special  guest,  was 
Lieutenant  "  Hefty  "  Harris,  of  old  Camp  Bowie,  and 
as  Bright's  special  charge  were  'Tonio^  sometime  chief 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS     307 

of  the  Red  Eock  band  of  Apache-Mohaves,  Kwona- 
helka,  his  associate  and  friend,  with  two  young  braves 
of  the  tribe,  Kwonahelka's  shy,  silent  wife  and  her 
ward,  a  motherless  young  Apache  girl,  sister  to  Conies 
Flying,  he  whose  untimely  taking  off  had  so  seriously 
complicated  the  Indian  question  in  the  district  of  the 
Verde.  Bright  had  his  Apache  visitors  comfortably 
stowed,  and  abundantly  provided  for,  close  to  his  own 
roof,  and  'Tonio,  charged  with  serious  crimes  against 
the  peace  and  dignity  of  the  people  of  the  TJ.  S. 
in  general,  and  Arizona  in  particular,  received  with 
native  dignity  at  the  entrance  to  his  canvas  lodge  callers 
and  even  congratulations — for  great  was  the  desire  to 
see  him — and,  unbailed,  unhampered,  untrammelled  by 
fetter,  guard,  or  shackle,  calmly  awaited  his  examina 
tion  before  the  Great  Chief  with  the  coming  of  the 
morrow.  Soldiers  like  Crook  and  the  staff  of  his  train 
ing  knew  'Tonio  and  his  lineage,  and  unlike  Willett, 
valued  his  word. 

And  early  on  that  morrow  Willett  reappeared,  de 
livered  certain  despatches  at  the  office  long  before  office 
hours,  betook  himself  to  his  quarters  for  bath,  shave 
and  breakfast,  and  behind  closed  doors  and  shrouded 
windows,  awaited  the  summons  if  needed  to  appear 
before  the  department  commander.  His  narrative  long 
since  had  been  reduced  to  writing.  Between  him  and 
black-bearded  Wickham  there  had  been  one  significant 
interview,  never  till  long  afterwards  given  even  to  in 
timates  on  the  general's  staff.  As  for  'Tonio,  to  no 
one  less  would  he  plead  his  cause  than  the  department 
commander  himself,  the  Great  White  Chief. 


308     TONIO,  SON   OF  THE  SIERRAS 

Never  in  the  chronicles  of  that  sun-blistered  land, 
home  of  the  scorpion  and  rattlesnake,  the  Apache  and 
tarantula,  had  that  sun  shone  on  scene  so  dramatic  as 
that  the  Exiles  long  referred  to  as  "  'Tonio's  Trial," 
and  never,  perhaps,  was  trial  held  with  less  of  the 
panoply  and  observance  of  the  law  and  more  assurance 
of  entire  justice. 

It  was  a  great  chief  trying  a  great  chief.  The  power 
ful  commander  of  the  department  sitting  in  judgment 
on  the  once  powerful  head  of  a  warlike  band,  long 
since  scattered,  absorbed,  merged  in  neighboring  tribes, 
worn  down  in  ceaseless  battling  against  surrounding 
forces  and  implacable  Fate.  Crook  knew  the  Indian 
as  it  was  given  few  men  to  know  him,  and  in  his  own 
simple,  straightforward  way  generally  dealt  with  the 
Indian  direct.  But  here  was  a  case,  as  he  well  under 
stood,  where  he  who  had  once  moved  the  monarch  of 
these  silent,  encircling  mountains,  stood  accused  of 
treachery  to  the  hand  that  had  fed,  sheltered  and  up 
lifted  him,  to  the  Great  Father  whose  service  he  had 
sought,  to  the  white  chiefs,  old  and  young,  whom  he 
had  sworn  to  obey.  If  guilty  he  deserved  the  extent  of 
the  law,  if  innocent,  the  fullest  vindication  of  the  high 
est  power  he  and  his  people  knew  and  recognized.  To 
no  mere  captain  or  even  post  commander  would  'Tonio 
plead.  To  no  agency  official  would  he  trust  himself 
or  his  cause.  There  was  one  soldier  chief  whom  every 
Indian  of  the  Pacific  Slope  knew  well  by  reputation 
and  by  name — the  chief  who  spoke  ever  with  the 
straight  tongue  and  told  them  only  the  truth — the  chief 
who  never  broke  his  word  or  let  others  ignore  it.  "  Gray 


TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS     309 

Fox  "  they  named  him  later  among  other  tribes,  but 
these  of  the  Sierras  spoke  of  him  only  as  "  Crook." 

On  the  greensward,  close  to  the  assembly  hall  in  the 
low  ground,  the  council  lodge  was  pitched — two  huge 
hospital  tent  flies  having  been  stretched  from  tree  to 
tree,  braced  on  uprights;  and  there,  in  a  little  semi 
circle,  sat  the  general  with  his  principal  officers  about 
him — gray-haired,  pale-faced  Archer,  looking  strangely 
sad  and  old,  at  his  right — black-haired  Wickham  at  his 
left,  and  high  officials  of  the  staff  departments  on  either 
flank,  the  judge  advocate  of  the  department  having  a 
little  table  and  chair  at  one  side  that  all  legal  notes 
might  be  made.  Half  a  dozen  officers  of  the  garrison, 
with  Colonel  Darrah  at  their  head,  grouped  in  rear 
of  the  council.  Three  or  four  orderlies  stood  about, 
but,  by  order,  not  a  rifle  or  revolver  could  be  found 
in  the  entire  array.  Seated  to  the  right  and  left 
were  officers  prominent  in  the  recent  campaign — Stan- 
nard,  Turner,  Bonner,  Strong  and  Harris  among  them, 
while  at  a  distance,  among  the  cedars  and  looking  curi 
ously  on,  were  gathered  the  wives  and  families  of  the 
officers,  with  their  guests  and  attendants — at  a  distance 
that  the  dignity  of  the  occasion  in  the  eyes  of  the  Ind 
ian  race  might  not  be  put  in  jeopardy  by  the  presence 
of  a  woman. 

Further  still,  on  the  other  side  across  the  trickling 
brook,  to  the  number  of  near  two  hundred,  men,  women 
and  children,  soldiers,  citizens  and  strangers,  all  in 
silence  awaited  the  first  act  of  the  drama — the  coming 
of  'Tonio  with  his  retinue,  marshalled  by  that  expert 
master  of  aboriginal  ceremonies,  Lieutenant  Bright. 


310     TONIO,   SON   OF   THE  SIERRAS 

And  presently  he  came.  No  picturesque  war  bon 
net  distinguished  him.  No  robe  or  mantle  hung  in 
stately  folds  about  his  form.  'Tonio  sought  not,  as 
does  his  red  brother  of  the  plains,  the  theatrical  aid 
of  impressive  costume.  Tall,  spare  and  erect,  his 
sinewy  legs  and  arms  bare  almost  their  entire  length, 
his  moccasins  worn  and  faded,  but  his  fillet,  camisa 
and  trailing  breech-clout  almost  snowy  white ;  destitute 
of  plume,  feather,  necklace,  armlet,  ornament  of  any 
kind,  unarmed,  yet  unafraid,  with  slow  and  measured 
step  the  chief  approached  the  council  tent,  three  of  his 
warriors  in  his  train,  and,  escorted  by  Bright,  turned 
squarely  as  he  came  before  the  outspread  canvas,  en 
tered  beneath  its  shade,  and  stopping  midway  across  the 
greensward,  his  head  upheld,  his  black  eyes  fixed  in 
calm,  reposeful  trust  upon  the  general's  face,  halted 
and  stood  simply  before  him,  saying  not  a  word. 

"  'Tonio,  will  you  be  seated  ?  "  asked  the  general, 
and  an  orderly  stepped  forward  with  a  camp  chair. 
Even  before  the  interpreter  could  translate,  'Tonio  un 
derstood,  motioned  the  orderly  aside,  turned  and  sig 
nalled  to  his  followers,  who  quickly  settled  to  the  ground 
and  seated  themselves,  cross-legged,  in  half  circle  be 
neath  him,  but  the  chieftain,  accused,  would  stand. 
On  the  dead  silence  that  followed,  all  men  listening 
with  attentive  ear,  even  the  women  and  children  across 
the  little  ravine,  hushing  their  nervous  giggle  and  chat 
ter,  'Tonio's  voice  was  presently  uplifted,  neither  harsh 
nor  guttural,  but  deep  and  almost  musical.  In  tl^e 
tongue  of  his  people  he  spoke  seven  words,  and  there 
seemed  no  need  of  the  interpreter's  translation: 

"  My  father  has  sent  for  me.     I  am  here."- 


CHAPTER   XXVIII. 

A  STRANGE  tribunal  was  this — "  a  method  of  pro 
cedure/'  as  the  acting  judge  advocate  of  this  distant 
department  took  frequent  occasion  to  tell  us  when  the 
general  wasn't  around,  "  that  would  seem  to  have  no 
warrant  in  law."  Something  to  this  effect  being  sug 
gested  to  the  general  by  the  chief  of  the  department 
staff,  who  went  on  to  say  that  he  supposed  it  was  a 
case  of  "  Inter  arma  silent  leges/'  the  general's  beard, 
which  hid  his  mouth,  was  observed  to  twitch,  and  the 
wrinkles  at  the  corner  of  his  steely-blue  eyes  followed 
suit.  It  was  a  way  of  his  when  trying  not  to  smile. 
Then  Bright  was  heard  to  say  that  where  the  laws  were 
silent,  wise  lawyers  should  be  likewise,  an  epigram 
which  long-legged  Lieutenant  Blake,  of  Camp  McDow 
ell,  was  delightedly  and  explosively  repeating  for  the 
benefit  of  certain  of  the  ladies  looking  on  from  among 
the  cedars,  even  as  'Tonio  appeared.  Then  no  crier 
was  needed  to  proclaim  silence  and  declare  this  honor 
able  court  now  open.  Blake  had  come  to  Prescott  rue 
fully  expectant  of  official  displeasure,  and  found  it,  so 
far  as  the  chief  of  staff  was  concerned.  But  the  gen 
eral's  greeting  had  been  so  cordial  and  kind  that 
"Legs"  took  heart  instanter.  There  was  evidently 
something  behind  it. 

Mrs.   Crook  had  marshalled  her  forces  early  that 


312     TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS 

brilliant  morning.  Camp  chairs  and  rugs  had  been 
sent  down  to  the  cedars,  and  with  two  of  her  favorites, 
Blake  and  Kay,  in  attendance,  she  and  her  guests  from 
Camp  Almy  were  seated  where  they  could  watch  the 
proceedings  and  almost  hear  what  was  said.  Many  a 
curious  glance  was  levelled  in  their  direction,  for  by 
Mrs.  Stannard's  side  sat  Lilian  Archer,  pale  almost  as 
a  calla,  and  rarely  smiling  or  speaking,  but,  as  all  Fort 
Whipple  could  see,  she  was  there,  whereas  Evelyn 
Darrah  had  not  been  out  since  the  night  of  the  dance. 
The  colonel  had  explained,  as  he  was  probably  bidden, 
that  Evvy  had  contracted  a  severe  cold,  and  her  mother 
could  not  leave  her.  At  least,  said  certain  eager  spec 
tators,  Willett  must  now  be  here,  "  for  he  is  back  from 
McDowell,  or  wherever  he  went."  But  even  in  this 
there  was  disappointment.  The  general  had  looked  to 
that.  Willett's  accusation  against  the  chieftain  had 
been  reduced  to  writing.  It  had  all  been  carefully 
translated  to  'Tonio,  as  had  the  reports  of  the  post  com 
manders  of  Camps  Almy  and  McDowell.  No  further 
allegations  had  been,  or  were  to  be,  made.  With  his 
witnesses  in  readiness,  'Tonio  stood  before  the  Great 
White  Chief,  the  only  man,  save  one,  perhaps,  to  whom 
he  would  deign  full  explanation. 

And  now,  with  the  agency  interpreter  at  his  left  and 
the  agent  himself  seated  among  the  officials,  an  eager 
and  nervous  listener,  'Tonio  strode  forward  a  pace  or 
two,  halted,  looked  calmly  round  upon  the  circle  of 
expectant  faces,  then,  the  observed  of  every  eye,  the 
object  of  absorbed  attention,  with  occasional  use  of  a 
Spanish  phrase,  but,  as  a  rule,  speaking  only  in  the 


TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS     313 

dialect  of  the  Apache,  the  tall  chieftain  began.  With 
every  few  words  he  would  pause,  that  the  interpreter 
might  repeat.  It  would  be  difficult,  indeed,  to  translate 
his  exact  words  or  to  portray  their  effect.  To  imitate 
the  simple  dignity  of  the  aging  warrior  would  be  in 
itself  a  triumph  of  dramatic  art. 

"  My  father  has  told  me  of  the  lies  against  my  people 
—and  me.  My  people  are  not  many  now,  and  we  are 
poor,  often  hungry  and  homeless,  and  our  hearts  are 
sore.  We  believed  the  promise  of  our  father  and  we 
strove  to  obey  him,  but  while  he  was  gone,  and  we  knew 
not  where  to  find  him,  others  came,  unlike  him.  Our 
enemies,  the  Tontos,  were  many  and  strong.  Their 
agent  gave  them  much  meat  and  bread,  but  my  people 
were  denied.  The  Tontos  jeered  at  them;  their  young 
braves  taunted  ours,  and  our  young  women  were  afraid. 
The  Tontos  killed  our  white  brothers  and  burned  their 
homes,  and  said  it  was  we.  Then  the  soldiers  came 
to  arrest  Comes  Flying,  and  Comes  Flying  was  killed, 
and  my  people  fled  far  in  among  the  Eed  Kocks.  They 
had  done  no  wrong,  but  they  were  afraid.  Then  the 
Tontos  killed  our  white  brother,  Bennett,  always  our 
friend,  and  burned  his  house  and  carried  away  his  wife 
and  children.  Our  young  men  were  few,  but  they  fol 
lowed  and  fought  the  Tontos  and  got  the  woman  and 
her  little  ones  and  tried  to  hide  them  away  among  the 
rocks  until  white  soldiers  could  come,  but  there  came 
more  Tontos.  They  were  too  many,  and  they  kept  be 
tween  the  soldiers  and  Comes  Flying's  band.  They 
killed  two  of  our  young  men  and  got  the  woman  once 
more,  and  then  my  young  chief,  Capitan  Chiquito,  fol- 


314     TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS 

lowed,  with  only  the  braves  you  count  on  one  hand, 
but  he  caught  the  Tontos  and  rescued  the  woman,  and 
was  shot.  Gran  Capitan  Stannard  brings  me,  and  all 
his  soldiers,  and  follows  after  the  Tontos,  but  it  was 
Capitan  Chiquito  who  first  reached  her,  and  who  would 
have  saved  her  and  her  babies  in  their  hiding-place, 
only  he  was  held  back — held  back — "  and  with  his 
head  high  and  his  black  eyes  sweeping  the  circle,  'Tonio 
stood  and  glared  about  him  in  search  of  an  absent 
accuser.  Then,  with  appeal  in  his  gaze,  he  turned  once 
more  to  the  general. 

"  It  is  as  'Tonio  says,"  answered  Crook,  with  grave 
inclination  of  the  head.  "  His  brother  chief,  Captain 
Stannard,  sustains  him.  Is  it  not  so,  Stannard  ?  " 

"  Every  word  of  it,  sir !  "  was  the  blunt  reply,  as 
Stannard  rose  from  his  seat  "  We  found  two  Apache- 
Mohaves  killed.  We  chased  the  Tontos  into  the  moun 
tains.  Lieutenant  Harris  and  'Tonio,  with  Apache- 
Mohave  scouts,  rescued  Mrs.  Bennett,  and  led  us." 
Whereat  Archer's  sad,  white  face  was  bowed  upon  his 
hands.  Oh,  that  luckless  despatch! 

"  We  are  listening,  'Tonio,"  said  the  general,  as 
Stannard  slowly  resumed  his  seat,  looking  almost  dis 
appointed  that  there  had  been  none  to  contradict  or 
doubt  his  view. 

"  My  father  asks  me  why  I  left  the  camp  after  we  had 
brought  home  our  Capitan  Chiquito.  It  was  because 
my  people  came  to  the  willows  and  called  me.  The  sis 
ter  of  Comes  Flying  was  weeping  for  her  brother. 
Eamon  and  Alvarez  were  angered  and  talking  battle 
and  revenge,  and  Pancha  came  to  warn  me  and  to  beg 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS     315 

me  come  or  there  would  be  much  trouble.  My  young 
men  were  doubly  angered.  They  said  the  white  brother 
had  broken  his  promise,  had  feasted  the  Tontos  and 
had  starved  them,  had  killed  Comes  Flying  and  driven 
our  women  and  children  to  the  mountains.  They  had 
seen  more.  They  had  seen  their  chief  struck  in  the 
face  with  the  glove  of  the  young  soldier  chief — who  is 
not  here."  And  again  the  black  eyes  sought  every 
where  throughout  the  circle.  "  Ramon,  Alvarez  and 
others  had  vowed  that  he  should  die  because  of  Comes 
Flying  and  of  me.  It  was  for  this  they  played  all 
so  many  hours  with  the  riders  from  the  Verde.  They 
would  head  them  off  and  hold  them.  The  soldiers  would 
come  to  rescue,  and  maybe  the  young  chief.  If  so,  they 
would  lure  him  out  beyond  the  others,  and  they  did. 
I  could  not  break  their  will.  I  saw  their  plan  only  just 
in  time.  They  were  in  hiding  among  the  rocks  beyond 
the  ridge,  with  only  one  or  two  in  sight  before  them. 
He  was  galloping  straight  into  their  trap.  There  was 
just  one  way  to  save  him  and  be  true  to  our  pledge  to 
the  Great  Father.  I  shot  to  kill  his  horse,  not  him. 
My  rifle  would  have  carried  just  as  true  had  it  been 
aimed  at  his  heart.  He  who  struck  me  at  the  ranch — 
and  denounced  me  here — owes  his  life  to  'Tonio." 

In  the  dramatic  pause  that  followed  a  murmur  of 
sympathy  and  admiration,  irrepressible,  flew  from  lip 
to  lip.  He  noted  it,  but  gave  no  sign. 

"  The  young  white  chief  says  again  I  shot  or  sought 
to  kill  him  that  night  at  the  ford.  Again  I  could  have 
done  so,  and  again  I  sought  to  save.  He  was  my  enemy. 
He  was  " — and  here,  with  affection  all  could  see,  the 


316     TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

glittering  eyes  seemed  to  soften  as  they  turned  on  Har 
ris,  sitting  pale,  silent  and  observant — "  the  enemy 
of  this  my  brother  and  my  friend.  I  would  no  longer 
go  within  the  soldier  lines.  In  spite  of  what  I  had 
done  the  white-haired  chief  ordered  his  soldiers  to  kill 
or  take  me  prisoner.  They  could  not  find  me,  but  I 
tried  to  warn  my  brother  there  was  trouble — they  would 
kill  his  brother  chief,  then  there  would  be  fearful  war, 
but  my  brother  was  wounded  still  and  could  not  come. 
>e  Then  the  young  stranger  chief  was  lured  out  again 
by  Sanchez — his  people  and  mine.  They  swear  to  me 
they  did  not  kill  him — that  the  white  man,  Case,  did 
that.  He,  too,  hated  him.  But  Sanchez  lied  to  me. 
He  promised  to  take  back  the  pistol  my  people  found 
the  night  I  shot  his  horse,  and  he  never  did,  nor  mes 
sages  I  sent.  So  I  know  not  who  fired  the  shot,  who 
clubbed  him,  but  Sanchez  had  that  pistol — Sanchez 
lied  to  me !  I  was  not  that  night  so  near  as  the  Pi- 
cacho,  and  when  the  soldiers  came  to  find  me  I  went 
farther,  with  two  of  my  people.  We  met  the  Great 
Chief's  couriers.  We  met  more  Tontos.  We  fought 
them  back  and  I  was  wounded.  They  took  me  to  Mc 
Dowell,  and  no  man  was  unkind  until  the  night  they 
put  me  in  the  iron  cell  with  Sanchez,  and  he  told  me 
I  should  never  see  the  Great  Chief,  my  father;  that 
I  should  hang  for  shooting  the  white  chief,  Willett. 
When  I  slept  he  was  there.  When  I  awakened  he  was 
gone,  and  the  iron  bars  were  gone.  I  went  out  into 
the  night — into  the  mountains — until  I  found  my 
young  chief.  Then  the  truth  was  told  me.  Then  we 
followed,  and  found  Sanchez.  Then  my  people  heard 


TONIO,   SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS     317 

the  story  and  helped  me  find  the  way  to  the  cave  where 
the  boys  were  hidden.  The  Great  Spirit  of  my  fathers 
knows  I  have  never  broken  my  promise.  That  is  all 
that  'Tonio  can  say.  I  have  spoken." 

And  then  as  he  finished  and  the  last  word  had  been 
translated,  all  in  language  far  less  vivid  than  his  na 
tive  tongue,  all  men  seemed  to  breathe  a  sigh  of  relief 
and  seek  instinctively  to  rise  and  gather  about  him. 
The  general  slowly  found  his  feet,  rose  to  his  full 
height,  stepped  straightway  forward  to  where  the  Ind 
ian  stood,  placed  his  left  hand  on  the  gaunt  and  bony 
shoulder,  and  with  his  ungloved  right  seized  and 
grasped  and  held  that  of  the  elder  chieftain,  his  own 
eyes  twinkling,  moistening,  as  he  spoke. 

"  'Tonio — Brother — the  Great  Father  shall  know, 
and  if  I  live,  all  his  people  shall  know,  how  deeply 
you  have  suffered,  how  truly  you  have  stood  our 
friend." 

And  then,  still  clasping  the  warrior's  hand,  Crook 
turned  to  his  officers,  for  by  this  time  every  man  was 
on  his  feet,  every  eye  was  again  upon  them,  every  face 
lighted  with  interest,  and  many  with  emotion.  Silently 
the  general  glanced  about  him,  and  at  his  signal  Archer 
came  forward,  his  handsome  old  head  bared,  his  fine 
eyes  filling.  At  his  approach  the  commander  drew 
back  a  step,  releasing  'Tonio's  hand.  Then  the  soldier 
who  but  a  fortnight  back  had  sought  to  prison,  possibly 
to  kill,  this  soldier  of  the  desert  and  the  mountain,  fol 
lowing  his  superior's  lead,  held  forth  his  hand,  a 
thinned  and  trembling  one,  yet  the  clasp  in  which  it 
took  that  sinewy  brown  one  was  one  an  Indian  could 


318     TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

never  doubt.  Looking  straight  into  'Tonio's  fearless 
eyes,  the  veteran  spoke :  "  Tonio — Brother — I  did  you 
wrong.  I  beg  your  pardon  and  I  ask  your  friendship." 

For  a  moment,  silence,  then  for  answer  came  but  the 
single  word: 

"  Hermano." 

When  presently  hands  unclasped  and  others  began 
to  gather  about  him,  it  was  seen  as-  Stannard  came  for 
ward  he  had  linked  his  arm  in  that  of  Harris,  and 
would  not  be  denied.  The  general  caught  sight  of 
them,  and  a  smile  like  sunshine  lighted  up  his  beam 
ing  face.  "  That's  right,  Stannard.  This  way,  Capi- 
tain  Chiquito !  We  all  want  you."  And  then,  though 
by  dozens  now — officers,  agent,  interpreter  and  terri 
torial  officials — they  were  swarming  about  the  impas 
sive  central  figure,  they  gave  way  right  and  left  that 
the  two  friends  might  meet,  and  ? Tonio,  turning  from 
Archer's  handclasp,  saw  his  young  champion  and 
leader,  and  the  stern,  dark  features  melted,  the  bold, 
fearless,  challenging  eyes  softened  on  the  instant.  He 
would  have  sprung  forward  to  some  act  of  Indian  hom 
age,  but  Harris  was  too  quick  and  checked  him.  Their 
eyes  met.  Then  both  hands — all  four  hands — went 
out  at  once. 

It  was  at  this  juncture,  as  certain  of  the  department 
staff  began  to  bethink  themselves  of  important  duties 
awaiting  them  at  their  offices,  that  one  of  the  old-time 
characters  of  the  old  army,  a  field  officer  of  distinction 
in  the  war  days,  was  heard  to  express  himself  some 
what  as  follows :  "  Well,  whereaway  is  Willett  now  ?  " 
— a  question  that  had  occurred  to  every  member  pres- 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS     319 

ent,  and  to  many  a  man  and  woman  without  the  coun 
cil,  but  this  was  its  first  audible  expression. 

"  Willett,"  said  the  general  calmly,  yet  in  tone  that 
all  beneath  the  canopy  could  hear,  "  made  known  to  me 
days  ago  that  he  desired  to  withdraw  his  accusation, 
but  I  had  my  reason  for  insisting.  As  to  the  question, 
where  is  Willett? — he  is  here  to  testify,  if  need  be, 
before  a  civil  court.  We  have  still  to  settle  with  San 
chez." 

Moreover,  as  the  Indians  finally  moved  away,  Bright 
and  Harris  both  escorting  'Tonio,  there  were  emissa 
ries  of  the  agency  at  their  heels,  for  in  'Tonio's  train 
walked  both  Ramon  and  Alvarez,  on  whom  it  might 
be  well  to  keep  an  eye. 

But  'Tonio's  trial— "  'Tonio's  triumph,"  as  Blake 
declared  it — was  not  yet  over  for  the  day.  The  watch- 
spring  saws  and  tiny  file  found  on  Sanchez,  when 
finally  taken,  had  explained  the  method  of  that  Mc 
Dowell  escape.  With  these  and  with  bacon-rind  to 
grease  them,  only  a  little  time  and  labor  had  been 
needed,  nor  was  there  ever  found  proof  against  Cor 
poral  Collins,  or  the  sentry,  that  either  had  connived 
at  the  subsequent  escape  of  'Tonio.  He  had  awakened 
and  found  his  undesired  cellmate  missing,  and  the  win 
dow  was  clear.  So  that  way  he  could  have  gone,  though 
there  were  many  who  believed  the  door  itself  had  been 
opened  to  him.  In  any  event,  he  saw  freedom  with 
out,  and  suspected  wrong  and  treachery  within.  Why 
should  he  not  go  ?  Who  was  to  blame  him  ?  Crook's 
cordiality  to  the  accountable  officer  of  the  day,  Lieu 
tenant  Blake,  went  far  to  show  that  he  was  far  from 


320     TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS 

resentful  of  the  result.  It  really  looked  as  though  the 
Gray  Fox  would  rather  'Tonio  had  never  been  con 
fined. 

And  later  that  winter's  day,  along  toward  sunset, 
another  scene,  far  less  dramatic  and  impressive,  was 
enacted  at  the  office  of  the  sheriff,  a  mile  away  in  town. 

An  adobe  wall,  some  seven  feet  high,  surrounded  the 
corral,  and  beneath  the  canvas  awning  on  the  southern 
side  certain  offenders  against  the  peace  and  dignity  of 
Yavapai  County  had  been  assembled  under  the  eye  of 
tobacco-chewing  deputies.  There  were  the  Sanchez 
half-brothers,  'Patchie  and  Jose,  both  shackled.  There 
was  Munoz,  similarly  decked.  There  slouched  Dago, 
unfettered,  but  carefully  watched.  There  were  two 
more  of  the  riffraff  of  the  redoubtable  ghost  ranch,  and 
two  of  the  victims  of  the  more  skilful  play,  and  potent 
doping,  of  the  proprietors.  All  were  under  surveil 
lance,  several  under  charges,  but  where  was  Case? 

It  was  Blackbeard  who  answered  that  question  at 
five  o'clock,  when,  from  the  post  ambulance,  he  and 
Bright  sprang  forth,  and  presently  aided  to  alight  a 
very  solemn-looking  civilian,  shaved,  dressed  and 
groomed  with  extreme  care,  but  for  pallor  and  ner 
vousness,  a  reputable-looking  criminal — Case.  Accused 
with  assault  with  attempt  to  kill,  the  bookkeeper,  none 
the  less,  had  been  taken  in  charge  by  officers  of  the 
army,  with  the  entire  consent  of  the  officers  of  the  law, 
and  Sanchez  the  elder,  Jose,  that  is,  weakened  at  the 
sight  of  him.  He  was  sober  and  clothed  in  his  right 
mind,  as  Wickham  meant  he  should  be.  Moreover,  he 
looked  no  longer  afraid.  Case  had  met  his  master  at 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS     321 

the  game  of  bluff,  and  now,  with  nothing  left  to  hope, 
had  nothing  left  to  dread. 

Short  work  the  sheriff  made  of  the  matter  in  hand. 
There  had  been  a  killing  down  on  the  Agua  Fria,  and 
the  killer  was  still  at  large.  Here  was  only  a  bungling 
attempt  to  kill,  and  everybody  concerned  was  at  hand. 

"  Case,"  said  he  shortly,  "  when  you  were  brought 
here  you  swore  it  was  ?Tonio  who  shot  Lieutenant 
Willett." 

"  I  didn't  swear,"  said  Case.  "  I  stated ;  but  either 
would  have  been  wrong.  I  said  it  when  myself  ac 
cused  and  when  I  had  been  drinking.  I  am  ready  to 
tell  everything  I  know." 

"  Then  wait  a  moment,"  answered  the  official,  turning 
to  a  deputy,  who  pulled  at  an  inner  door,  and  said.  "  This 
way,  gentlemen,"  whereat  everybody  filed  out  into  the 
corral  where  there  was  far  more  room,  and  where  pres 
ently  they  were  joined  by  the  agent  and  his  interpreter, 
by  a  little  group  of  officers,  Stannard,  Strong  and  Wil 
lett — the  latter  very  pale  and  weary-looking.  A  mo 
ment  later  the  gateway  swung  open  and  in  walked  Har 
ris,  with  ?Tonio  by  his  side  and  two  tribesmen  follow 
ing.  The  gate  was  quickly  closed  in  the  face  of  an 
eager  knot  of  townspeople,  but  at  sight  of  the  assembled 
party  the  Sanchez  brothers  cowered  still  farther  back 
beneath  the  shelter,  and  the  sheriff  ordered  Jose  out 
into  the  light.  He  came,  yellow-white,  and  cringing. 

"  You  said,  first,  that  'Tonio  shot  that  man,"  and  the 
sheriff  pointed  to  Willett.  "  Did  you  lie  3  " 

"  Si"  gulped  the  Mexican. 

"Then  who  did  it?" 


322     TONIO,  SON  OF   THE  SIERRAS 

Jose  shrank.  His  eyes  furtively,  quickly  swept  the 
group,  then  fell  again. 

"  You  said  Case — this  man,"  said  the  sheriff,  with 
a  hand  on  Case's  shoulder.  "  Did  you  lie  again  ?  " 

"  He — he  shoot,  an?  run  away." 

"  You  lie,  three  times !  Only  one  shot  was  fired  and 
that  from  your  own  pistol.  Here  it  is!  Case  never 
had  it,  for  all  you  swore  to  it." 

"  Munoz  saw  him — shoot !  " 

"  That  so,  Munoz  ?  Come  out  here !  "  and  a  deputy 
collared  and  thrust  him  forth. 

"  Si;  Case,"  answered  Munoz  miserably. 

And  then  at  last  the  dago  broke  bounds.  All  the 
pent-up  hatred  of  the  months  boiled  over  in  his  heart. 
All  the  fear  vanished  in  presence  of  these  supporters 
and  at  sight  of  these  now  abject  bullies.  Out  he  sprang, 
all  vehement  denunciation: 

"  Lie !  "  said  he — "  damn  lie !  Munoz  hit ! — San 
chez  shoot !  All  try  kill.  Then  run — run,  for  soldiers 
come ! " 

It  was  then  that  Lieutenant  Willett  stepped  forward 
and  interposed. 

"  Mr.  Sheriff,"  said  he,  "  whatever  my  earlier  opin 
ion  on  the  subject,  I  know  more  now.  I  know  it  was 
not  'Tonio.  I  believe  it  was  not  this — this  gentleman 
— Mr.  Case.  If  you  will  favor  me  a  moment  I  can 
make  it  clear  to  you,  but " — and  here  the  heavily 
lashed,  mournful  brown  eyes  sought  the  group  of  Mexi 
cans — "  I  should  hold — those  fellows." 

And  so,  once  more  within  the  little  office,  Willott 
briefly  told  his  tale.  There  were  present  Wickham, 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS     323 

Bright  and  Harris,  the  sheriff  and  one  deputy.  "I 
should  be  glad  to  have  you  call  in  Mr.  Case,"  said  he. 
So  Case  was  summoned  and  came  and  'took  a  chair 
by  the  chimney  and  bowed  his  head  upon  his  hands. 

"  There  had  been  a  card  transaction,"  said  Willett. 
"I  owed  Mr.  Case  three  hundred  dollars,  and  he  or 
his  friends  thought  I  was  going  to  leave  without  set 
tling.  He  sent  me  a  note  saying  he  wished  to  see  me. 
It  was  midnight  before  I  could  go  down.  He  had  left 
the  office,  but  hailed  me  from  the  window  of  Craney's 
shack.  We  met  near  the  ford,  had  words,  and  I  struck 
him — struck  him  twice,  knocking  him  down,  and  then 
his  friends,  or  followers,  as  I  supposed,  pitched  upon 
me.  I  surely  saw  one  Indian,  and,  knowing  'Tonio's 
— grievance,  and  being  warned  against  him,  that  was 
the  last  idea  I  had,  as  I  was  knocked  senseless.  Mr. 
Sheriff,  I  refuse  to  enter  any  complaint  against  Mr. 
Case.  He  is — entirely  blameless." 

"  That  seems  to  let  you  out,  Case,"  said  the  sheriff 
sententiously,  but  the  bookkeeper  never  raised  his  head. 

"  Is  there  anything  else  I  can  say — or  do  ?  "  asked 
Willett,  holding  his  natty  forage-cap  at  the  side  df 
his  head.  "  It  should  be  done  now,  for — I  am  to  leave 
here — to-night." 

It  was  then  Case's  turn.  In  an  instant  he  was  on 
his  feet. 

"  Going  ? "  he  demanded,  a  strange,  hungry  look  in 
his  eyes.  "  I'm  not  yet  free,  and  IVe  got  to  speak 
with  you." 

"There  is  no  need,"  said  Willett  graveljr.  "I 
know." 


324     TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS 

"  You  mean  ? — you  heard ? " 

"  My  letters  have  told  me — everything/'  was  the 
quiet  answer. 

"  And  you  are  going  ?  " 

"  Back  to  Portland— and  to " 

With  that  he  would  have  turned,  but  Case  sprang 
forward.  There  was  perceptible  start  among  the  look 
ers-on.  It  might  mean  another  attempt.  The  sheriff 
seized  him,  but  Case,  with  feverish  strength,  shook  him 
self  loose,  and  Willett  turned  back,  faced  him,  and 
waited  for  him  to  speak.  It  was  a  moment  before  Case 
could  find  breath,  then  came  the  words: 

"  My  God,  man !  Will  you  give  me  your  word — 
your  hand — on  that  ?  " 

For  all  answer  Willett  drew  off  the  dainty  glove 
of  white  lisle  thread,  took  the  outstretched  hand  of 
Case,  wrung  it,  and  turned  in  silence  from  the  room. 

There  were  men  who  mounted  and  rode  with  him  a 
mile  or  more  that  night,  and  came  back  silent  and  sor 
rowing,  yet  thinking  better  of  Hal  Willett  than  any 
of  their  number  had  ever  thought  before. 

"  He  has  gone  to  do  the  one  square  thing  that's  left 
him,"  said  Old  Stannard,  as  the  buckboard  whirled 
away,  "  and  his  resignation  goes  with  him." 

I/ENVOI. 

That  was  many  a  long  year  ago,  and  for  many  a 
month  thereafter  men  and  women  at  Whipple  and 
Sandy,  McDowell  and  Almy  would  talk  for  hours  about 
Willett,  his  strange  character,  his  broken  career.  It 


TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS     325 

was  not  long  before  the  truth,  the  whole  truth,  was 
known.  Case  for  a  time  would  not  return  to  Almy. 
He  found  some  work  to  keep  him  busy  at  Prescott, 
and  would  have  had  to  do  no  work  at  all,  said  the 
agent  of  the  Wells-Fargo,  "  if  he'd  kept  his  money,  but 
he  sent  every  damned  cent  of  four  hundred  dollars  to 
somebody  up  at  Portland."  He  was  forever  on  the 
lookout  for  the  coming  of  the  buckboard  with  the  mail 
— we  had  no  telegraph  until  774 — and  his  excitement 
over  the  receipt  of  certain  letters  and  newspapers,  along 
in  mid-February,  was  something  not  soon  to  be  for 
gotten.  He  had  been  sober  and  solemn  as  an  anchorite 
for  over  six  long  weeks,  and  this  night,  to  the  joy  of 
the  gamblers  in  the  Alcazar,  insisted  on  "  setting  'em 
up  "  for  all  hands,  soldier  and  civilian ;  then,  to  their 
amaze,  insisted  further  on  tneir  drinking  to  the  health 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hal  Willett,  by  gad!  "for  he's  a 
square  man  at  last." 

And  the  news  lacked  no  confirmation  at  the  bar 
racks.  There  came  a  missive  to  Wickham;  there  was 
a  message  to  the  general ;  there  was  a  very  earnest  mes 
sage  to  'Tonio ;  there  was  even  a  letter  in  Willett's  hand 
to  Evelyn  Darrah.  ]STo  one  ever  saw  its  contents  save 
the  girl  to  whom  it  was  addressed,  but  there  came  noth 
ing  to  be  forwarded  to  the  Archers  at  Camp  Almy. 
From  that  night  among  the  cedars  Lilian  never  again 
saw  Harold  Willett.  It  was  a  pitifully  insignificant 
little  packet  of  letters  the  young  officer  found  on  his 
desk  the  morning  of  his  return  from  the  Hassayampa 
road.  It  contained  only  the  pages  he  had  penned  to 
his  Lily  of  the  Desert.  The  earlier  ones  were  fond, 


326     TONIO,  SON   OF   THE  SIERRAS 

endearing,  sweet  as  girl  could  ask,  and  had  been  rap 
turously  welcomed,  read  and  reread,  kissed  and  fondled 
and  treasured.  The  later  ones  were  hurried,  perfunc 
tory,  full  of  excuses,  full,  alas!  of  lies  that  he  knew 
and  that  he  hated  himself  for  writing.  There  was  not 
so  much  as  a  line  from  her,  nor  was  one  needed.  Be 
tween  the  few  words  spoken  by  his  general  in  the  dark 
ness  of  the  veranda  and  that  one  conference  with 
iWickham,  Willett  knew  exactly  what  he  had  to  face. 
Just  as  it  had  dawned  upon  him  that  breathless  night 
at  Almy,  when  the  ravings  of  the  Irish  deserter  told 
him  that  his  sin  had  followed  and  had  found  him  out, 
he  realized  here  at  Whipple  that  all  was  known  and, 
for  him,  all  was  over.  He  had  burned  in  vain  the 
burning  and  accusing  letters  that  poor  girl  in  Portland 
had  written  him.  Her  mother  at  last,  learning  every 
thing,  had  written  to  Crook,  and,  through  Wickham, 
who  had  investigated  both  Case  and  the  deserter  Dooley, 
Willett  received  his  conge.  There  should  be  no  public 
break.  It  was  to  be  announced  that  at  his  own  request 
Lieutenant  Willett  stood  relieved  from  duty  as  aide 
-de-camp  to  the  department  commander,  and  would  pro 
ceed  to  rejoin  his  regiment  in  the  Department  of  the 
Columbia ;  but  even  Wickham  started  with  surprise  and 
incredulity  when,  accompanying  this  application,  at 
the  close  of  'Tonio's  dramatic  trial,  Willett  gravely 
handed  him  another  paper — his  resignation  as  an  officer 
of  the  army. 

"  I  do  not  understand  this  as — demanded,"  said 
Blackbeard,  looking  quickly  into  Willett's  pallid  face. 

"  You  will,  when  you  remember  that  my  wife — and 


TONIO,  SON   OF  THE  SIERRAS     327 

child — would  hardly  be  acceptable  in  army  circles,"  was 
the  quiet  reply. 

"  You  mean — you  are  going  at  once  to  marry  her  ?  " 

"  What  else  should  I  do  2  "  said  Willett. 

And  this  it  was  that  explained  his  unlooked-for  es 
cort  beyond  the  borders  of  the  little  reservation,  Stan- 
nard's  words  of  commendation,  and  Case's  ebullition 
at  the  Alcazar. 

Case  had  not  many  more.  Craney  coaxed  him  back 
to  Almy  after  awhile,  where  every  ono  from  Archer 
down  to  the  drum  boys  showed  him  many  a  kindness, 
and  where  from  time  to  time  he  received  letters  that 
seemed  to  bring  him  comfort,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that 
Bonner,  Bucketts  and  even  gruff  old  Stannard,  when 
they  spoke  of  it  at  all,  were  given  to  saying  that  there 
was  little  happiness  in  store  for  the  poor  girl  at  Port 
land,  for  Willett  was  not  made  of  the  stuff  that  kept 
man  faithful  long  to  any  one  woman.  It  was  rumored 
for  awhile  that  the  little  family,  having  moved  north 
ward  to  one  of  the  new  and  booming  settlements  on  the 
Sound,  were  living  in  poverty  and  seclusion,  Willett's 
wealthy  kindred  in  the  East  scorning  him,  as  was  to 
be  expected,  for  the  'mesalliance  and  for  his  abandon 
ment  of  the  profession  he  was  expected  to  adorn.  But 
the  embryo  "  Smart  Set "  and  the  tried  old  Service 
had  little  in  common,  at  best.  It  was  in  the  employ  of 
the  Engineer  Corps  that  Willett  found  means  to  keep 
the  wolf  from  the  door,  and  the  girl  was  happier  longer 
than  most  people  would  have  believed  possible,  for  it 
was  full  three  years  before  Willett's  father  died,  and, 
relenting,  willed  him  prosperity.  Some  time  after 


328      TONIO,  SON   OF   THE  SIERRAS 

that  there  came  a  tale  of  Evelyn  Darrah,  but,  as  the 
best  authority  would  say,  "  that's  another  story." 

With  Case,  however,  life  seemed  to  have  lost  its  in 
spiration.  He  wandered  more  and  more  from  the  paths 
of  rectitude  to  those  which  meandered  through  the  wil 
lows  and  the  old  ghost  walk.  The  firm  of  Sanchez  y 
Munoz  had  gone  to  seed,  the  ranch  to  ashes,  and  the 
individual  members  to  jail.  Dago  had  accompanied 
Mrs.  Bennett  and  the  growing  babies  to  her  brother's 
ranch  on  the  Agua  Fria.  The  Indians  had  been 
gathered  to  their  reservations,  and  'Tonio,  with  Lieu 
tenant  Harris,  has  been  assigned  to  service  under  the 
eye  of  the  Great  Chief  himself.  'A  new  post,  a  big 
post,  was  projected  nearer  the  reservation.  It  was 
rumored  that  Almy  would  then  be  abandoned  and  Case 
would  not  have  even  the  ghost  walk  for  his  solitary 
moonings  when  the  whiskey  spell  was  on  him,  and  the 
spells,  though  no  more  frequent,  as  the  Scotchman 
would  have  it,  were  of  longer  duration.  He  had  taken 
strongly,  not  strangely,  to  Stannard  and  his  gentle  wife, 
and  it  was  to  them  he  told  at  last  the  story  of  his 
troubles,  and  through  them,  long  years  after,  it  became 
known. 

He  was  doing  well  in  Portland,  had  fallen  deeply  in 
love  with,  and  was  engaged  to,  as  pretty  a  girl  as  ever 
was  seen,  good  and  gentle,  too;  but  she  was  young,  the 
belle  of  her  set,  a  beautiful  dancer,  and  Case  could 
not  dance.  She  loved  gayety,  pleasure,  music,  and 
in  those  days  they  picnicked  over  to  Vancouver,  and 
danced  in  a  big  barrack  to  the  stirring  strains  of  the 
band  of  the  Lost  and  Strayed,  and  why  shouldn't  the 


TONIO,  SON  OF   THE  SIERRAS     329 

Portland  girls  love  to  dance  with  the  young  officers? 
Why  shouldn't  Estelle  enjoy  dancing  with  such  finished 
performers  and  partners  ?  There  was  one  at  that  time 
who  outclassed  them  all,  and  in  an  evil  day  they  met-. 
It  wasn't  long  before  her  fascination  became  infatu 
ation,  and  either  there  or  in  Portland,  or  somewhere, 
they  were  forever  meeting.  It  was  not  long  before  Case 
saw  his  world  swept  from  before  his  eyes.  He  did  his 
best  with  her,  with  her  mother  and  friends,  but  she 
told  him  flatly  that  she  loved  Lieutenant  Willett  and 
would  be  no  man's  wife  but  his.  That  clinched  Case's 
downfall — and  hers,  but  not  until  after  Case  saw  Wil 
lett  at  Camp  Almy,  and  her  mother's  letters,  and  hers, 
began  again  to  come,  did  he  learn  the  worst.  Then 
came  Willett's  devotions  to  Archer's  gentle  little  daugh 
ter,  and  the  rage  within  his  soul  overmastered  him. 
He  would  not — he  could  not — bear  to  tell  of  Estelle's 
shame.  He  dare  not,  he  owned  it,  oppose  himself  man 
to  man,  physically,  to  Willett,  but  he  burned  with  desire 
for  revenge.  Sanchez  and  his  kind  were  willing  tools. 
Eamon  and  Alvarez,  they  told  him,  were  thirsting  for 
Willett's  blood.  It  would  be  easy  enough  to  shoulder 
it  all  on  'Tonio,  if  the  worst  came  to  the  worst.  San 
chez  had  Case  deep  in  his  debt,  for  monte  had  fas 
cinated  him  when  in  liquor.  They  did  not  know  Wil 
lett  had  left  with  Craney  payment  in  full  for  their 
financial  differences.  They  insisted  on  his  seeing  Wil 
lett  and  making  him  pay  before  he  left  the  post.  Dago 
had  the  run  of  the  garrison,  and  Dago  took  the  few 
lines  that  told  Willett  if  he  was  a  man  to  come  down 
to  the  ghost  walk  and  settle,  dollar  for  dollar,  man  to 


330     TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

man,  or  the  story  of  his  Portland  days  should  be  told 
the  Archers.  Sanchez,  Munoz,  and  the  two  Apache- 
Mohaves  were  lurking  there  across  the  stream.  Case 
watched  for  him  from  the  rear  window,  saw  him,  and 
in  spite  of  the  doctor's  precaution,  counteracted  by  the 
whiskey  he  had  hidden  in  an  inner  pocket,  he  slipped 
out  in  his  stocking  feet,  took  the  path  to  the  ford,  and 
there  met  Willett  face  to  face.  It  was  all  so  easy. 
Sanchez  knew  'Tonio  was  near,  grieving  that  no  an 
swer  came  from  Harris,  signalling  for  a  talk,  ignorant 
of  the  fact  that  Sanchez  had  delivered  neither  the  re 
volver  nor  the  message.  Case  had  with  him  only  his 
knife,  for  he  knew  his  confederates  would  be  at 
hand.  He  vowed  he  did  not  know  that  they  were 
bringing  Eamon  and  Alvarez.  Raging  with  jealousy, 
hate,  desire  for  vengeance,  and  nerved  by  liquor,  he 
had  demanded  his  money.  Willett  contemptuously 
bade  him  seek  it  of  his  employer,  and  asked  him  how 
he  dare  doubt  a  gentleman,  whereat,  in  a  fury,  Case 
told  him,  or  started  to  tell  him,  why,  and  was  knocked 
flat  in  a  second.  He  sprang  up,  knife  in  hand,  and 
rushed  upon  him  a  second  time,  only  to  be  floored 
again,  and  the  knife  sent  spinning.  Willett  seized  it, 
and  was  standing  over  him,  panting  a  bit,  when  felled 
by  a  crashing  blow  with  a  pistol-butt  at  the  base  of  the 
skull.  Then  in  terror  Case  fled  the  way  he  came,  for 
he  saw  both  Indians  and  Mexicans  were  on  him,  real 
ized  that  murder  was  meant,  and  knew  he  would  be 
involved  unless  he  could  instantly  get  back  to  his  bed. 
Willett  made  a  desperate  fight,  wounded  Ramon,,  and 
might  have  killed  him  but  for  the  timely  shot  from 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS     331 

the  pistol  of  Jose.  Case  heard  it,  and  the  cry  for  help 
as  he  ran.  So  quick  was  the  response  of  the  sentry 
and  the  guard  that  the  assailants,  too,  fled  in  fear, 
leaving  their  work  unfinished.  They  had  no  fear  of 
their  drugged  countrymen  at  the  ranch.  They  were 
ready  to  help  the  soldiers  hunt  the  Indians,  and  did, 
but  Jose  had  dropped  the  old  Navy  Colt  at  the  ford. 
They  bought  Dago's  silence  for  awhile,  for  he,  too, 
hated  Willett,  and  it  was  so  easy  to  charge  the  crime  to 
'Tonio.  But,  when  they  fell  out  among  themselves, 
and  the  pistol  was  found,  and  then  Case  was  accused, 
Dago  let  loose  on  Munoz,  and  the  secret  of  the  attempted 
murder  was  out. 

For  a  time  thereafter  Case  felt  dazed,  benumbed ;  but, 
as  Willett  recovered,  he  took  courage  again,  and  more 
drink,  and  tried  to  shoot  his  worthless  head  off,  he 
said,  when  they  came  to  arrest  him.  But  when  he 
heard  of  Willett's  doings  at  Prescott,  and  had  been 
openly  taunted  by  Dooley,  he  determined  to  lose  his 
life  another  way,  if  need  be,  in  bringing  Willett  to 
justice.  He  told  it  all  to  Wickham,  and  was  amazed, 
yes,  amazed  at  the  result.  He  never  dreamed  that 
Willett  at  the  eleventh  hour  would  go  to  Estelle  and 
make  the  only  amend  in  his  power. 

For  that  matter,  neither  did  any  one  else  cognizant 
of  the  fact,  especially  Harris,  who,  having  been  the 
unwilling  recipient  of  all  poor  Eastern  Stella's  confi 
dences  in  the  past,  believed  Willett  still  haunted  by 
memories  of  her,  and  knew  not  this  new  and  innocent 
and  confiding  Star  of  the  West.  He  had  his  own  sor 
rows  to  bear,  and  his  heart  was  bitter  within  him  at 


332     TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

sight  of  the  woe  in  the  sweet  blue  eyes  of  the  girl  who 
speedily  went  back  to  Almy,  without  ever  having  opened 
her  heart  to  a  soul  except  that  devoted  mother. 

While  Evelyn  Darrah  kept  her  room  as  much  as  a 
week  after  Willett's  going,  it  was  a  wonderful  fact 
that,  during  a  visit  of  four  days,  Lilian  Archer  ap 
peared  in  public  with  her  father,  rode,  drove,  played 
croquet,  though  she  managed  to  avoid  two  dinners  and 
a  dance.  She  was  very  quiet,  it  is  true.  "  She  never 
did  shine  in  society,"  said  the  Prime  girls.  B*rt,  un 
der  all  this  silence  and  fortitude,  and  the  access  of  ten 
derness  with  which  she  clung  to  her  father,  Mrs.  Stan- 
nard  and  others  saw  how  near  the  little  heart  was  to 
breaking,  and  there  grew  up  among  the  exiles  a  feeling 
of  love  and  admiration  for  this  uncomplaining  child, 
so  suddenly  grown  old,  that  outlived  the  lives  of  most 
of  them,  for  it  has  come  down  to  those  who,  in  the  ful 
ness  of  time,  stepped  into  their  places.  They  are  gone 
now,  nearly  all — our  bearded  general  and  his  beloved 
Mary,  gruff  old  Stannard  and  his  wise  and  winsome 
wife.  Bright,  Bonner,  Bucketts,  grim-visaged  Turner, 
white-haired,  noble  Archer  and  his  fond  and  cherished 
Bella,  even  Willett,  but  not,  thank  God,  until  better 
and  brighter  days  had  dawned  on  most  of  them,  and 
of  one  of  these  days,  and  of  'Tonio,  there  is  yet  this 
to  tell. 

There  had  been  a  year  in  which  the  Archers  took 
their  little  girl  abroad.  The  old  regiment  had  been 
ordered  to  an  eastern  station,  and  the  change  was  wel 
come,  for  with,  all  her  bravery,  and  despite  their  fond 
est  care,  she  drooped  in  Arizona,  and  there  came  a 


TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS     333 

longed-for  opportunity  they  could  not  neglect.  They 
were  many  moons  away;  they  were  for  a  time  at  regi 
mental  head-quarters  on  their  return,  and  then,  in  days 
when  nothing  was  so  rare  as  advancement,  came  Archer's 
promotion  to  the  colonelcy  of  the  very  regiment  that 
had  taken  the  stations  of  their  former  friends  in  Ari 
zona.  In  a  little  less  than  two  years  from  that  event 
ful  night  among  the  cedars,  the  Archers,  three,  were 
once  more  welcomed  to  the  general's  roof,  escorted  the 
last  ten  miles  of  the  dusty  stage  ride  from  the  desert 
by  Harris,  whose  letters  to  the  general  or  to  Mrs. 
Archer  had  been  regular  as  the  fortnightly  mail.  With 
the  morrow  he  and  'Tonio  were  on  hand  to  hail  them, 
looking  fit  and  spare  and  sinewy  as  ever  they  had  of 
old,  for  these  were  strenuous  days  and  stirring  times 
in  the  Apache-haunted  mountains — the  Tontos  had 
broken  faith  and  were  again  afield. 

Camp  Sandy  on  the  Verde  was  the  centre  of  the 
storm.  Pelham  and  his  cavalry  had  just  been  sent  to 
other  climes,  marching  overland  to  "  the  Plains." 
Archer  was  needed  at  once  in  command  of  the  dis 
trict,  and  was  speedily  there  established,  and  thither 
too  went  Crook,  with  Bright  to  write  his  orders  and 
despatches,  with  Harris  and  'Tonio  to  head  the  scouts. 
Thither  presently  went  Lilian  and  her  mother.  The 
post  was  large,  the  garrison  ample.  There  was  active 
service  that  their  own  white-haired  general  welcomed 
eagerly,  for  Crook  meant  to  the  full  that  his  loyal  old 
friend  and  supporter  should  have  all  the  credit  that 
the  campaign  might  bring  him.  But  campaigns  con 
ducted  under  dail^  telegraphic  promptings  from  dis- 


334     TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

taut  superiors  were  not  the  brisk  and  independent  mat 
ters  of  a  few  years  back.  There  were  too  many  advisers 
within  easy,  if  expensive,  reaching  distance — too  many 
"  Friends  of  the  Indian/7  and  far  too  few  of  tne  soldier, 
close  in  touch  at  court.  Crook  himself  was  looking 
vexed  and  worried.  It  is  so  hard  to  serve  God  and 
Mammon,  to  grapple  with  the  foemen  at  the  front,  the 
Press  and  the  Pulpit  at  the  rear.  At  the  very  moment 
when  he  had  the  "  hostiles  "  hemmed  between  converg 
ing  columns  and  sure  of  capture,  his  hand  was  held 
by  orders  from  the  East.  At  the  very  moment  when 
the  warriors  at  the  reservation  should  have  been  watched 
and  guarded  against  exhorters  from  without,  the  latter 
got  within,  and  a  powerful  band  stampeded  up  the 
Red  Rock  country  and  were  gone.  The  news  reached 
Archer  toward  eleven,  one  winter's  night,  and  at  dawn 
he,  in  person,  with  Harris  and  'Tonio  and  twenty 
scouts  and  barely  thirty  mounted  men,  was  climbing 
the  rugged  trail  from  the  head  of  the  Beaver  in  pur 
suit,  leaving  Bella  and  Lilian,  brave,  silent,  yet  tearful, 
at  the  post. 

It  was  nothing  new,  this  going  forth  of  veteran  di 
vision  and  brigade  commanders  of  the  war  days,  with 
a  handful  of  soldiery,  to  cope  with  a  band  of  savages 
on  their  chosen  ground.  Barely  two  years  before  the 
Modocs  had  asked  for  a  talk  with  the  general  command 
ing  and  killed  him.  Only  the  year  previous  the 
Cheyennes  lured  out  a  lieutenant-colonel,  with  but  a 
lieutenant's  command,  and  picked  him  off.  And  so, 
two  nights  later,  there  was  weeping  at  old  Sandy,  for 
a  runner  was  in  long  hours  after  sundown  with  the 


TONIO,  SON   OF   THE  SIERRAS     335 

tidings  that  there  had  been  a  sharp  and  sudden  skirmish 
among  the  rocks,  that  brave  old  Archer  had  been  the 
first  to  fall,  and  that  'Tonio  had  been  desperately 
wounded  in  the  effort  to  save  the  veteran's  life. 

They  started  them  homeward  within  the  week,  Archer 
calm,  conscious,  suffering  much,  but  as,  the  skilled  sur 
geons  told  the  wife  and  daughter  who  had  rested  not 
until  they  reached  him,  with  good  hope  of  recovery. 
It  was  'Tonio  for  whom  they  felt  the  keenest  appre 
hension.  'Tonio  had  received  a  bullet  meant  for  the 
soldier  who  had  once  decreed  his  death,  and  Archer's 
anguish  was  more  for  him.  With  them,  on  the  slow 
homeward  way  around  by  the  old  Wingate  road,  was 
Harris,  sleepless  from  anxiety  and  distress,  watching 
night  and  day  by  the  side  of  his  two  heroes,  filling  all 
with  wonderment  at  his  endurance;  and  with  Harris, 
much  of  the  time,  by  the  side  of  both  father  and  father's 
self-devoted  savior,  was  Lilian. 

They  brought  them  back  to  Sandy.  They  nursed 
the  general  back  to  life  and  partial  strength.  But  age 
and  wounds  and  sorrows  all  had  told  on  the  Mohave 
chieftain,  and  slowly  he  sank,  despite  their  every  effort 
and  the  doctor's  skill.  They  had  pitched  a  little  tent 
fly  for  him — he  would  not  be  borne  within  doors — • 
and  shaded  it  with  brush  and  willow,  yet  left  the  south 
ward  view  open  so  that  he  could  look  out  upon  the 
broad  valley  and  see  the  shadows  of  the  mountains 
steal  across  it  as  the  sun  went  westering.  He  seemed 
to  love  to  watch  the  morning  flame  on  the  bald  summit 
of  the  huge  peak  so  close  at  hand;  it  made  him  think 
of  the  Picacho  about  whose  base  he  had  sported  as  a 


336     TONIO,  SON   OF   THE   SIERRAS 

boy.  He  seemed  to  love  to  see  Ramon  and  Pancha 
hovering  ever  about  him.  He  would  look  at  them,  take 
their  hands,  then  place  their  hands  together  and  hold 
them  between  his  own.  But  most  of  all  he  loved  to 
see  Harris  bending  over  him,  moving  about  him,  and 
when  Lilian  came  and  gave  him  drink  and  touched 
his  fevered  head,  his  glittering  eyes  would  soften  and 
follow  her  with  such  a  world  of  wistfulness  as  though 
they  would  speak  the  longing  of  his  heart.  Then  he 
would  look  from  her  to  Harris,  and  from  Harris  back  to 
her,  in  a  way  that  sent  the  blushes  surging  to  her  fore 
head,  and  the  sight  of  those  blushes  set  that  young 
soldier's  heart  to  bounding. 

One  beautiful  afternoon,  when  the  sun  was  slanting 
low  and  the  great  dome  of  the  peak  was  all  agleam 
with  crimson  and  with  gold,  they  were  gathered  about 
his  shelter,  for  the  spirit  had  been  wandering  and  his 
strength  was  almost  gone.  Without  the  canvas,  their 
women  weeping  with  Pancha,  their  young  men  silent 
and  sad,  a  group  of  the  old  band  hovered  along  the 
slope  of  the  low  mesa.  It  was  thought  he  could  hardly 
survive  the  night,  and  with  the  sinking  of  the  sun  his 
mind  seemed  clouding  more,  and  he  called,  over  and 
over,  for  "  Chiquito,"  who  knelt  there  clinging  to  his 
hand.  Even  Archer  had  come,  leaning  heavily  upon  his 
crutches,  and  Bella,  his  wife,  and  Lilian — Lilian  upon 
whom  the  dying  eyes  rested  again  and  again.  'Tonio 
was  now  too  weak  to  lift  a  hand;  he  could  not  signal; 
but  something  in  his  gaze  seemed  to  call  her  to  him 
irresistibly.  He  was  breathing  with  such  difficulty  that 
the  surgeon,  bending  over  him  on  the  other  side  of  the 


TONIO,  SON  OF   THE   SIERRAS     337 

pallet,  slipped  an  arm  beneath  his  shoulders,  Harris 
from  his  side  aiding,  and  together  they  slowly  raised 
him  almost  to  a  sitting  posture,  his  weary  head  resting 
on  "  Chiquito's  "  shoulder.  But  the  eyes  still  sought 
Lilian,  and  Archer,  watching,  murmured  to  her,  "  Go." 

To  take  his  other  hand,  feebly  plucking  at  the  light 
coverlet,  she  had  to  kneel  so  close  to  Harris  that  he 
could  feel  the  swift  throbbing  of  her  heart  against  his 
arm,  and  'Tonio,  looking  now  into  the  two  young  faces 
so  near  together,  so  close  to  his  own,  began  with  all 
his  remaining  strength  slowly  drawing  her  little  white 
hand  toward  the  lean  and  sinewy  fingers  that  elapsed 
his  right,  whereat  her  bonny  head  drooped  lower,  her 
bosom  heaved;  she  seemed  at  once  to  read  his  purpose, 
and,  with  the  instinct  of  the  maiden,  to  gently  resist. 
But  the  almost  instant  reproach  and  pleading  in  the 
fading  eyes  melted  and  unnerved  her.  Harris,  too, 
had  seen,  and  noted,  and  understood,  and  his  own  heart, 
through  all  its  sorrowing,  was  beating  vehemently;  his 
own  right  hand,  without  releasing  'Tonio's,  crept  forth 
in  search  of  hers,  and  presently,  trembling,  but  resist 
ing  no  longer,  the  lily-white,  slender  fingers  lay  softly 
within  the  young  soldier's  clasp,  and  a  big,  hot  tear 
fell  upon  the  back  of  the  brown  and  withered  hand 
that,  almost  pulseless,  drooped  upon  them  both  as 
though  in  benediction. 

Overcome  with  emotion,  Mrs.  Archer,  watching, 
breathless,  dropped  her  head  upon  her  husband's 
shoulder  and  sobbed  convulsively.  The  last  brilliant, 
dazzling  beams  of  the  dying  day  had  lifted  from  the 
crest  of  the  huge  dome  that  shut  the  valley,  and  left 


338     TONIO,  SON   OF  THE  SIERRAS 

it  dark  and  sombre;  and  'Tonio's  eyes,  turning  upon 
it  for  the  last  time,  seemed  to  note  the  change;  and 
the  flitting  spirit,  wandering  back  to  the  old,  old  boyish 
days,  and  the  legends  of  his  people,  spoke  once  more. 
The  gathering  darkness,  the  plash  upon  his  hand,  the 
resemblance  to  the  mountain  that  guarded  his  baby 
hood  and  youth,  all  probably  had  worked  their  spell, 
for  the  pallid  lips  began  to  move,  and  in  the  silence 
of  the  lowering  night  a  few  words  in  his  native  tongue 
were  faintly  heard,  and  hot  tears  gushed  from  the  eyes 
of  his  young  chief,  friend  and  brother,  as,  in  answer 
to  the  doctor's  quick,  questioning  glance,  Harris 
brokenly  murmured  the  translation: 

"  When  the  Picacho  hides  his  head  in,  the  clouds, 
then  will  there  be  rain." 

And  the  clouds  had  lowered,  and  the  day  was  done, 
and  there  was  rain  of  tears  from  even  soldier  eyes  for 
7Tonio — Son  of  the  Sierras. 

THE  EItt). 


THE  ROCK  OF  CHICKAMAUGA 

'By 
GENERAL  CHARLES  KING 


"  I  have  just  finished  '  The  Rock  of  Chickamauga'  and  I  want  to 
thank  you  for  the  admirable  manner  in  which  you  have  portrayed  Gen 
eral  George  H.  Thomas.  He  was  the  captain  of  the  first  company  I 
served  in,  but  had  left  a  few  months  before  I  joined.  I  served  under 
him  during  the  whole  Civil  War  and  when  I  think  of  George  Washington 
involuntarily  the  picture  of  General  Thomas  appears  before  my  mind's 
eye.  Militarily  and  Morally  he  was  the  greatest  man  the  war  produced." 
— FRED  PHISTERER,  Assistant  Adjutant  General  State  of  New  York. 

"  The  book  is  one  of  the  strongest  of  the  many  that  the  author  has 
put  forth  ;  what  he  has  to  say  of  military  operations  is  sure  to  hold  the 
attention,  and  he  has  not  forgotten  to  introduce  the  element  of  romance 
for  the  delight  of  those  who  feel  that  no  novel  is  quite  complete  unless 
the  tender  passion  enters  into  it." — Newark  Evening  News. 

"The  story  is  a  marked  advance  on  the  author's  previous  stories. 
Events  forge  straight  ahead,  and  there  is  a  genial  humanness  to  the 
characters  that  immediately  arouses  our  interest  and  our  loyalty." 

— Chicago  Tribune. 

"  This  story  of  Captain  King's  bears  the  marks  of  soldierly  knowl 
edge.  The  attitude  of  Stanton,  Grant  and  Sherman  toward  Thomas  is 
referred  to  more  than  once  in  the  book,  and  the  reason  that  is  ascribed 
for  it  with  every  probability  is  that  Thomas  was  a  Southern  man.  But 
so  also  was  Farragut." — New  Orleans  Picayune. 

"  The  book  is  full  of  stirring  battle  pictures  and  pen  portraits  of  the 
generals  of  the  armies  in  the  West — Grant,  Sherman,  Sheridan,  Rose- 
crans,  Hooker,  Thomas,  and,  incidentally,  of  Lincoln  and  Stanton — pic 
tures  and  portraits  all  drawn  with  an  eye  loyal  to  the  verities  of  history." 

— New   York  Herald. 

"It  is  thoroughly  imbued  with  the  characteristics  of  its  author, 
which  are  a  background  of  authentic  history,  military  atmosphere  reflected 
from  large  experience,  involution  of  plot,  charming  love  interest,  and  a 
stirring  style  that  leads  from  one  climax  to  another." 

— Philadelphia  Evening  Telegraph. 

"  In  drawing  his  warriors  General  King  rises  to  a  very  high  plane 
of  descriptive  writing." — Baltimore  Sun. 

"  This  story  shows  General  King  at  his  best.  It  has  the  vigor  and 
freshness  of  his  '  Colonial  Daughter.'  Its  diction  is  a  constant  pleasure, 
and  taken  all  in  all,  it  is  a  novel  of  strength,  pathos,  and  its  depth  of 
human  emotion  is  portrayed  with  a  facile  and  able  pen." 

— Milwaukee  Sentinel. 

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What  the  Critics  say  of 

TONIO,  SON  OF  THE  SIERRAS 

By  General  Charles  King 


**  A  tale  of  the  Apache  war,  the  scene  being  laid  in  the  far  Southwest. 
The  story  is  one  of  rivalry  in  love  between  two  young  soldiers,  and  the 
lights  and  shades  of  character  are  so  nicely  drawn  that  the  reader  easily 
picks  the  winner  long  before  the  race  is  over.  Running  through  it  all, 
with  real  feeling  and  much  pathos,  is  the  story  of  the  faithful,  honorable 
highstrung  Indian,  Tonio.  It  gives  a  somewhat  new  view  of  the  wild 
man  of  the  prairies,  and  one  is  quite  content  to  accept  it  from  the  hands 
of  one  so  well  qualified  to  depict  it." — Arkansas  Democrat. 

"A  fine,  spirited  narrative  of  events  of  unusual  interest  and  of  a 
phase  of  life  with  which  the  author  is  absolutely  familiar,  and  it  pos 
sesses  also  the  rarer  quality  of  a  keen  and  true  analysis  of  character  and 
motive.  It  is  unquestionably  one  of  the  best  works  of  fiction  of  the 
season." — The  Nashville  American. 

"  The  story  is  written  in  General  King's  characteristic  style ;  action 
is  more  rapid  and  there  are  fewer  digressions  than  usual  with  him.  The 
tale  holds  the  interest  continuously,  the  reader  not  knowing  just  how  it 
all  will  end  until  he  reaches  the  final  chapter." — Boston  Transcript. 

"  The  character  of  General  King's  stories  is  too  well  known  to  require 
explanation,  and  the  pathetic  history  of  Tonio  is  as  rich  in  romance 
and  as  thrilling  in  incident  as  its  many  entertaining  predecessors. 
The  descriptions  of  army  life  in  Arizona  some  years  ago  are  especially 
interesting." — Toledo  Blade. 

"  Is  well  constructed  and  moves  along  with  a  dash  and  fullness  of 
incident  that  holds  the  reader's  constant  attention." — Louisville  Courier 
Journal. 

"  '  Tonio'  is  marked  by  the  wealth  of  stirring  incident,  and  the  detail 
of  frontier  soldier  life  which  testify  in  all  General  King's  books  to  the 
author's  vivid  imagination  and  familiarity  with  military  affairs.  There 
are  pages  of  stirring  battle  scenes." — New  York  World. 

"  There  is  lots  of  life  to  the  book.  It  will  make  a  pleasurable  addi 
tion  to  the  summer  luggage." — The  Cleveland  Leader. 

' '  No  one  is  more  capable  of  writing  an  army  story  than  General  King, 
and  this,  his  latest,  is  one  of  his  best,  holding  the  reader's  attention  to 
the  end." — The  Bookseller,  Newsdealer  and  Stationer. 

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NORMAN  HOLT 

BY  GENERAL  CHARLES  KING 


WHAT  THE  CRITICS  SAY 

"  A  pretty  love  story,  like  a  silver  thread,  winds  through  the 
story  and  orightens  and  lightens  the  dark  scenes  of  battle. 
•  Norman  Holt '  is  like  a  sea  breeze — it  has  the  sweep  and  dash, 
and  is  clean  and  wholesome." — Chicago  Record-Herald. 

"  Written  in  the  author's  most  spirited  manner,  and  his  descrip. 
tion  of  the  battle  of  Mission  Ridge  is  singularly  vivid  and 
forceful. " — Philadelphia  Press. 

"It  is  a  strong  story,  worthy  of  dramatization;  but  one  fears 
lest  it  fall  into  incompetent  hands,  and  so  loose  the  strong  high 
lights,  the  deep  background,  the  soft  mezzotints  which  the  author 
has  so  deftly  interwoven." — Indianapolis  Journal. 

"  It  is  a  swift  and  thrilling  story  of  action."— San  Francise* 
Call. 

••  One  meets  in  these  pages  real  human  beings.  There  is  n«t 
in  the  whole  book  a  dull  chapter."—  Omaha  Bee. 

'•The  story  is  among  the  best  General  King  has  produced." — 
New  York  Times. 

"The  book  is  rich  in  romance,  thrilling  in  situation,  and  so 
intense  in  its  recital  that  the  reader  is  literally  hypnotized  with 
interest  from  the  very  first  lines.  It  is  General  King's  strongest 
work." — New  York  Press. 

"None  of  his  past  novels,  which  won  him  his  reputation  as 
one  of  the  notably  vivid  fiction  writers  of  the  country,  is  more 
4jamatic  in  plot  and  stirring  in  action  than  '  Norman  Holt.' " — 
Francisco  Bulletin. 


Beautifully  Bound  IB  Cloth,  Illustrated,  $1.25 


G.  W.    DILLINGHAM    CO.,    PUBLISHERS 


What  Critics  Say  of 

"THE  BLACK  MOTOR  CAR" 

By  HARRIS  BURLAND 


"Anger,  malice,  and  all  uncharitableness  figure  largely  in  this 
sensational  novel,  set  to  a  modern  keynote,  that  of  a  motor  car.  An 
embezzler  entered  prison,  a  man  who  had  lost  his  honor,  but  retained 
many  good  traits.  After  fourteen  years  he  emerged  a  ravening  beast, 
and  began  to  take  his  revenge  on  the  world." — The  Outlook. 

"A  melodramatic  story  of  the  intense  and  lurid  kind,  with  not 
much  motoring  in  it  until  the  last  chapter,  which  is  given  to  a  thrilling 
description  of  a  night  ride  for  life,  ending  in  tragedy." 

— Philadelphia  Evening  Telegraph. 

"  There  is  something  fascinating  before  opening  the  book  to  glance 
at  the  outside  cover  and  absorb  the  meaning  of  a  striking  picture  of  a 
gleaming  auto  with  its  eyes  of  fire  generated  through  headlights,  while 
on  the  driver's  seat  sits  a  black-bearded  man  with  a  sinister  aspect  that 
at  once  suggests  action.  The  story  develops  in  aristocratic  England,  and 
there  is  plenty  of  coloring  and  rapid-fire  action." — Portland  Oregonian. 

"  There  is  a  '  go '  in  Harris  Burland's  novel  '  The  Black  Motor 
Car '  as  well  as  in  the  car  itself.  There  are  '  things  doing '  in  every 
chapter. " — Cleveland  Plaindealer. 

"The  author  manages  to  keep  one's  interest  at  fever  height  until 
the  very  last  line.  It  is  a  rapid  transit  romance  with  a  vengeance." 

— Philadelphia  Item. 

"  In  the  way  of  exciting  fiction  there  could  be  nothing  more  dis 
creetly  sensational  than  this  story.  It  fairly  bristles  with  wonderful 
incidents  in  which  a  woman  who  has  betrayed  a  lover,  dishonest  for  her 
sake,  is  pursued  relentlessly  by  her  victim.  Those  who  like  their  fiction 
well  spiced  with  stirring  and  surprising  incident  will  appreciate  this 
remarkable  story." — Boston  Budget  and  Beacon. 

"  Excitement,  mystery  and  horror  in  every  chapter,  sensational 
developments  following  each  other  in  rapid  succession,  make  up  a  story 
that  will  delight  anyone  who  loves  exciting  literature.  The  plot  is  a 
cross  work  of  various  interests  and  the  story  is  well  written.  The 
interest  is^sustained  to  the  last." — Louisville  Courier-Journal. 

44  We  would  not  like  to  say  how  many  automobile  stories  are  now  in 
course  of  construction,  but  it  is  safe  to  give  the  opinion  that  not  one 
will  be  more  hair-raising  than  Mr.  Burland's  book." — Rochester  Herald. 

44  Highly  sensational,  with  a  plot  full  of  surprises  and  crammed 
with  excitement  from  start  to  finish,  the  book  may  be  recommended  to 
those  who  like  a  story  which  travels  at  a  whirling  pace." 

— Boston  Herald. 

44  Suspense  and  horror  compel  the  reading  of  this  story  to  the  very 
last  word.  The  events  related  are  of  so  novel  and  exciting  a  character 
and  follow  each  other  with  such  rapidity  that  when  the  final  climax  is 
reached  the  reader  feels  as  if  he,  too,  had  been  whirled  along  in  the  mad 
flight  of  the  terrible  car  with  its  fierce  and  gloomy  owner." 

—  Utica  Observer. 
12020,  5j£  x  75^  inches •,  339  pages  ^  cloth  bound,  illustrated.     $1.50. 

a  W.  DILUNGHAM  CO*  Publisher*  NEW  YORK 


M18201 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


